A federal jury in Miami has convicted Vasudevan Pillay, a 68-year-old South African national, of making a false statement on a passport application and aggravated identity theft. The verdict was delivered on October 15.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that Pillay first arrived in the United States in 1985 with a six-month tourist visa. After his arrival, he assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen who had died as a toddler decades earlier. Using this stolen identity, Pillay obtained the victim’s birth certificate, secured a Social Security number, and received a Florida driver license under the deceased child’s name.
On November 28, 2023, Pillay applied for a U.S. passport using the fraudulent identity.
“For nearly forty years, this defendant lived under a lie,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “He stole the identity of a deceased child, defrauded the government, and tried to pass himself off as an American citizen. This conviction restores accountability and reaffirms that the rule of law still matters.”
Pillay could face up to ten years in prison for making a false statement on his passport application and must serve at least two years consecutively for aggravated identity theft. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on statutory guidelines.
After sentencing, Pillay may be subject to removal from the United States.
The case is being investigated by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ilana Malkin and Tim Farina are prosecuting.
Further information about this case can be found through public records at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20260.
