German Madrigal, a Mexican national, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after being convicted of making a false claim of U.S. citizenship on a passport application. The sentencing follows his conviction at trial for using fraudulent documents to obtain a U.S. passport.
“Because Madrigal lied about his foreign citizenship and used a fake birth certificate to try to obtain a U.S. passport, his next trip will be to a federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Madrigal’s sentence sends a message to those who would use fraudulent identity documents to conceal their nationality: you will be caught, prosecuted, and punished.”
“The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to investigating and pursuing anyone who applies for or obtains a United States passport using false documents,” said Acting Director of Diplomatic Security Service Domestic Operations Gregory Batman. “The U.S. passport is the most coveted travel document in the world. There are foreign nationals who attempt to fraudulently acquire U.S. passports to carry out criminal activities, including terrorism, inside our borders. These crimes threaten the national security of the United States.”
Court records show that Madrigal was born in Jalisco, Mexico in 1976 and entered the United States illegally with his parents as an infant. In the 1990s, he and his family moved to Hall County, Georgia, where he was later arrested on charges including statutory rape and drug trafficking offenses. During these arrests, Madrigal identified Jalisco as his place of birth.
On December 9, 2021, Madrigal applied for a U.S. passport at a post office in Gainesville, Georgia by presenting both a Georgia driver’s license and a fraudulently obtained California birth certificate as proof of citizenship. This same birth record had previously been used by Madrigal during deportation proceedings in 2010.
Following a two-day jury trial on April 29, 2025, Madrigal was found guilty of passport fraud.
United States District Judge Steve C. Jones sentenced Madrigal on July 29, 2025 to serve an 18-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Pearce.
More information about this case can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
