A Minnesota man says he was stunned to learn a stranger spent years building a life in Wyoming allegedly using his name — earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, fathering a child and leaving him to sort out the financial fallout with the IRS and owing child support.
Now, a Gillette welding worker is facing four felony identity theft charges after investigators say he used another man's name and Social Security number to obtain employment and official documents.
Jose Alfredo Guevara-Reyes, 45, made his initial appearance in Campbell County Circuit Court last week after being charged with four counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information.
According to court documents, the case began June 8 when Gillette police received a handwritten letter from Martin Almendarez of Minneapolis saying that someone working in Gillette had been using his identity.
Child Support Surprise
For Almendarez, the first signs of trouble didn't come from Wyoming law enforcement.
"I learned that the man who stole my identity had fathered a child," Almendarez said.
Because the worker allegedly used Almendarez's Social Security number, the child's mother initially believed Almendarez was the father, he said.
The situation escalated when the state of Wyoming notified him that he was on the hook to financially support the child.
"I got a letter from the state of Wyoming saying that they were going to garnish my wages,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Almendarez said even his employer questioned his identity as records tied to the alleged fraud surfaced. The Minnesota man said the ordeal was especially unsettling because he had never met the defendant.
"I don't even know him nor have I ever been to Wyoming," he said.
Welding Shop Discovery
An affidavit filed in the case by Gillette Police Detective Brendan Trujillo says investigators contacted MC Welding Services after receiving Almendarez's complaint.
The company provided employment paperwork associated with the worker, including a W-4 tax form, an I-9 employment eligibility form, a Social Security card and a Texas driver's license bearing Almendarez's name, the affidavit says.
Police determined the Texas driver's license number actually belonged to another person in Texas, according to the affidavit.
Investigators then visited MC Welding and spoke with the employee using the documents.
The man then identified himself with a New Mexico driver's license as Jose Alfredo Guevara-Reyes of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Reyes admitted to obtaining documents from a person in Texas for employment purposes but declined to identify the person.
The detective told Reyes the person who supplied the documents had essentially "set you up for failure,” the affidavit says.
$500,000 Question
Court records estimate Reyes worked at the welding company for more than four years, and a company employee told investigators that Reyes typically worked three 12-hour shifts each week and earned roughly $30 per hour.
The affidavit says he earned well above the felony threshold while allegedly using Almendarez's identity.
Almendarez believes the damage done to him may extend far beyond employment records.
According to IRS records he reviewed, he said more than $500,000 in earnings had been reported under his name.
"I heard he bought cars and put them under his name, a business in fabrication and other things like credit cards," Almendarez said.
The alleged victim also said he even worries someone might have obtained a life insurance policy using his identity.
“Truthfully, it scared me to think it has gone on this long," he said.
Relief Call
After years of trying to untangle the situation from hundreds of miles away, Almendarez decided to write directly to authorities in Gillette.
The response came quickly.
"A week later they called me saying he was in jail, and I felt so relieved," he said.
Even with the arrest, Almendarez said he believes he still has a long road ahead clearing his name with government agencies and financial institutions.
For now, though, he says he finally feels like someone is listening.
"I pray this turns out for the best," he said.
Reyes is being held at the Campbell County Detention Center on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
He is expected to next appear in circuit court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday at 11:30 p.m.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
