Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Spokane, Washington – United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on September 24, 2025, District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Brandon Wilkerson, of Wenatchee Washington, to thirty months in prison for aggravated identity theft and false statements on a passport application.
As set out in court documents, in October 2021, Wilkerson attempted to get a passport in his name but was denied in January 2022 because he was subject to a pending state warrant of arrest for felony unlawful possession of a firearm under Washington state law. In March 2022, Wilkerson stole his brother’s identity and applied for a passport under his brother’s name which was subsequently approved unknowing of the fraud. Wilkerson then used the passport to travel to Brazil, where he married a Brazilian national under his brother’s name. Wilkerson subsequently applied for legal status for the Brazilian national, again falsely and fraudulently using his brother’s name. Wilkerson was Indicted for this offense on March 19, 2024 and later placed into custody after violating the terms of his pre-trial release for committing a new criminal offense.
“Mr. Wilkerson knew that he could not get a valid passport in his own name because of his prior misconduct, so, under false pretenses, he fraudulently assumed the identity of his brother hoping the United States would not notice when he and his spouse tried to enter the United States,” said US Attorney Pete Serrano. “Mr. Wilkerson’s crime has serious consequences: the risks and dangers to our community of people entering the United States under false identities cannot be overstated. While this may seem like a Hollowood story, Catch Me if You Can, Mr. Wilkerson will not have a Hollywood ending thanks to the work from the men and women in our office and our partner law enforcement offices.”
“The Diplomatic Security Service will investigate and pursue anyone who applies for or obtains a United States passport using false documents,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Kazmar of the DSS San Francisco Field Office. “The U.S. passport is America’s premier identity document. Domestic criminals and foreign adversaries often attempt to fraudulently acquire U.S. passports to carry out criminal activities, including terrorism and human trafficking, inside our borders. These crimes threaten the national security of the homeland and are the focus of the Administration’s re-doubled enforcement efforts across the United States.”
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy J. Kelley.