Illegal Migrant Worked at Military Contractor for 30 Years, Faking Citizenship

Federal authorities arrested Alma Patricia Contreras Villafana, 54, on Friday, accusing her of fabricating her U.S. citizenship to work for 30 years at Howmet Aerospace, a company that manufactures components for military aircraft and jet engines.

Contreras Villafana, a Mexican national residing in South Los Angeles, was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents at Howmet's Torrance factory. She reportedly attempted to evade arrest by hiding in a conference room after being tipped off to law enforcement's presence. Company officials initially prevented agents from entering the building.

She faces charges including five counts of wire fraud, one count of using a false and forged certificate of naturalization, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Court documents indicate she had previously been ordered to leave the U.S. by an immigration judge in 2003 but remained in the country.

According to investigators, Contreras Villafana first secured employment at a Howmet subsidiary in 1996 by falsely attesting on her Form I-9 that she was a U.S. citizen. In 2023, she submitted another I-9, again claiming U.S. citizenship and providing a certificate of naturalization number belonging to another individual.

Prosecutors stated that over her three decades of employment, Contreras Villafana earned at least $1,402,459. If convicted, she faces significant prison time, including a potential 20 years for each wire fraud count, up to 10 years for using a forged naturalization certificate, up to three years for falsely claiming citizenship, and a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for aggravated identity theft.

"It’s alarming that an illegal immigrant who ignored a decades-old removal order was allowed to work for 30 years at a company involved with our nation’s military," said U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Martin Estrada. "It’s also a sign of how lax things were in terms of enforcing immigration laws that Congress passed decades ago. Those days are over. We will not allow our national security to be jeopardized in this manner again."

Howmet Aerospace, based in Pittsburgh, is a global manufacturer of advanced metal components for the aerospace and defense industries, producing parts for jet engines and aircraft, including components for Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet. The company has extensive dealings with the U.S. military.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations.