Former Celebrity Bodyguard Sentenced for Identity Theft and Misuse of a Social Security Number

Robert A. Morillo was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida, for one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of misuse of a social security number. He was sentenced to the two-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for aggravated identity theft, followed by two years of supervised release.

In 2006, the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) uncovered evidence that in October 1997, in Coral Gables, Florida, Morillo unlawfully assumed another person's identity and obtained a U.S. passport. With the assumed identity, Morillo gained state licensing to carry a firearm and worked as an armed bodyguard in the U.S. and internationally. He provided dignitary protection services to several notable celebrities and international figures.

Morillo was tipped off about the investigation, and in May 26, 2006, Morillo went to a Miami, Florida, office of the Florida Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles to obtain a license in yet another person's name and presented a fraudulent social security card and birth certificate. Morillo was subsequently issued a license in the other person's name and used this identity to evade law enforcement.

Pursuant to a DSS criminal investigation, Morillo was charged with passport fraud by criminal complaint in September 2006. Morillo was later indicted by a federal grand jury for passport fraud, social security fraud, and aggravated identity theft in Miami, Florida, and avoided capture until he was arrested on December 22, 2006, in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Peter M. Carlson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the U.S State Department's DSS Miami Field Office said, "Diplomatic Security aggressively investigates passport and other identity fraud. In this case, the fact that the suspect was known to carry firearms made this case that much more urgent. His arrest sends a message that Diplomatic Security will fully investigate these crimes and bring suspects to justice, regardless of where they may be hiding. Morillo's arrest and conviction was the result of superior cooperation among DSS, the DSS Puerto Rico Identity Fraud Task Force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Social Security Administration."

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security is the U.S. Department of State’s law enforcement and security arm. The special agents, engineers, and security professionals of the Bureau are responsible for the security of 285 U.S. diplomatic missions around the world. In the United States, Diplomatic Security personnel protect the U.S. Secretary of State and high-ranking foreign dignitaries and officials visiting the United States, investigate passport and visa fraud, and conduct personnel security investigations. More information about the U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security may be obtained at www.state.gov/m/ds.

Contact:
L. Kendal Smith
571-345-2509
SmithLK2@state.gov