Guatemala national sentenced for fraudulently getting kidney transplant, U.S. Attorney’s Office says

SIOUX CITY, Iowa ( KCAU ) — Three people were sentenced in Sioux City for a scheme to obtain a kidney transplant using a stolen identity.

According to a release, Jaklyn Guerra, 52, of Wells, Minnesota, Jennifer Herrera, 43, and Jeremias Herrera Rosales, 37, both of Worthington, Minnesota, were all sentenced for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. They were sentenced on June 24 and July 2.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Iowa’s Northern District said in the release that evidence at the trial showed that no later than 2012, Guerra and Herrera supplied Herrera Rosales, a citizen of Guatemala, with someone else’s name, date of birth, and social security number, due to not having citizenship in the U.S. The release specified that Herrera and Herrera Rosales were married, and Guerra is Herrera’s sister.

Herrera used the victim’s identity from 2015 to 2020 to receive Minnesota state funds from Medicare, Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration. He received more than $500,000 in these benefits.

Additionally, the release states that Herrera Rosales gained placement on the organ donor registry in 2019 as part of the scheme.

The release noted that Herrera Rosales admitted in his plea agreement that because he received the transplant fraudulently, another person who needed the kidney did not receive it.

Herrera Rosales was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Herrera and Guerra were both sentenced to one-month imprisonment. All three were ordered to serve a three-year term of supervised release and pay $510,949.61 in restitution as a joint obligation.

The release states that Herrera Rosales remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transferred to prison. Herrera and Guerra were released on Bonds and are to surrender to the United States Marshal on future dates.

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