A Brazilian man used the name of a child who died in a car accident in Washington State in 1979 to get a United States passport and a job as a flight attendant, according to a criminal complaint.
The man, who was born in Brazil, used the identity of a child to apply for an American passport in 1998, according to the complaint. The application he submitted used a Social Security number that was issued in the child's name in 1996, almost two decades after his death, according to the complaint.
The complaint says that Mr. Guedes was arrested in Houston in September after he was observed using the victim's identity to enter a secure area. He was charged with fraud in the application and use of passport, identity theft, and fraudulent entry into a secure space of an airport.
The lawyer representing Mr. Guedes declined to comment.
The complaint states that Mr. Guedes used the identity of William Eric Laddson for more than two decades. The complaint states that William's mother was interviewed by special agents from the Diplomatic Security Service. She confirmed that her son died in a car crash on August 8, 1979 and that he was born on August 8, 1979.
The fingerprints that were taken by Brazilian officials in the 1990s were included in a set of fingerprints that Mr. Guedes submitted to pass a background check for his job with United Airlines.
The complaint states that Mr. Guedes listed United Airlines as his employer when he renewed his passport.
It was not clear how long Mr. Guedes had worked for. The airline said in an email that he was no longer an employee.
The airline said that it had a thorough verification process for new employees. United did not respond to questions about whether it was reviewing the procedures after Mr. Guedes was arrested.
It's not clear how many people get U.S. passports under assumed identities. The Diplomatic Security Service could not comment immediately. The Transportation Security Administration declined to comment.
In his most recent passport renewal application, Mr. Guedes changed his name to William Ericson Caldas and submitted a copy of his marriage license to a person with the last name Caldas. According to the complaint, investigators were looking at a mortgage that Mr. Guedes obtained using William's name to buy a house in Houston.
