Overview
- The New York Times published "Two Men. One Identity. They Both Paid the Price." profiling Minnesotan Daniel Kluver and alleged impostor Romeo Pérez‑Bravo, and defended the piece as presenting a full picture of a complex issue.
- Vice President JD Vance and Sen. Mike Lee called the headline misleading, and DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the framing while citing Pérez‑Bravo’s prior convictions.
- Kluver reported years of IRS fines, garnished wages, and tax and credit turmoil as jobs, debts, and legal filings were tied to his Social Security number.
- The man accused of using Kluver’s identity was deported in 2005, 2008, and 2009, had multiple DUI convictions, and was linked to a 2022 accident that led to a wrongful‑death lawsuit naming Kluver.
- Federal prosecutors charged Pérez‑Bravo with aggravated identity theft and false representation of a Social Security number; he spent six weeks in detention before an April bond hearing, awaits trial, and faces a mandatory two‑year term for identity theft plus up to five years for SSN misuse if convicted.