Edward Katzorke first applied for and received a U.S. passport in 1986, by submitting an Arizona license and U.S. birth certificate as supporting documentation. In subsequent years, Katzorke filed multiple passport renewal applications, using his previously issued passport to support his identity claim. But in 2022, Katzorke’s application was flagged for investigation after Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents discovered an obituary from the 1960s for a Gene Edward Katzorke who had died in 1966, at the age of 2-years-old. The DSS agents also learned that Katzorke’s name was linked in criminal databases to Enrrique Ricardo Diaz Vazquez, a Mexican national.
Diaz Vazquez, born in Guadalajara, Mexico, wanted to join the U.S. military and had picked the name Gene Edward Katzorke as his alias after visiting a cemetery. Diaz Vazquez successfully joined the military under Katzorke’s name but then fled to Mexico after facing criminal charges for a homicide involving a 9-month-old infant in Tucson, AZ. But Diaz Vazquez was eventually deported from Mexico to the United States under the belief that he was a U.S. citizen. He continued to live in the U.S. under Katzorke’s name, apparently free from any further murder or illegal immigration charges.
On March 7, 2025, Diaz Vazquez, purporting to be Gene Edward Katzorke, arrived at the passport center for a regularly scheduled appointment regarding his most recent passport applications. But the DSS was ready for him. After confirming the application using Katzorke’s name, Diaz Vazquez was arrested for passport and visa fraud.
Shout out to the Diplomatic Security Service in this case.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Tucson man accused of assuming dead 2-year-old’s identity” published by the Arizona Daily Star on March 31, 2025.
A Mexican man living in Arizona has been indicted by a federal grand jury on suspicion of passport and visa fraud after an old obituary tipped off investigators to an alleged fake identity scheme. Enrrique Ricardo Diaz Vazquez, 60, a Mexican national, was indicted on March 25, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona.
Diaz Vazquez is accused of using the identity of Gene Edward Katzorke, a 2-year-old who died in 1966. He used the dead child’s identity for decades, according to prosecutors. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
