Thread by @HoustonChron

William Ericson Ladd was born Sept. 14, 1974, in Atlanta. He died a month before his fifth birthday.

Years later, senior @united flight attendant "William Ericson Ladd" entered a secure crew member entrance at Houston’s @iah.
✏️@GabMoBanks
📷@kenduque
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

After an interrogation, investigators said “Ladd” was actually Ricardo César Guedes, a 49-year-old who owned a home, got married, bought a BMW, took out a loan and worked as a flight attendant, including 40 trips for United in 2020 — all in Ladd’s name.
houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

A review of local prosecutions reveals Guedes is among several defendants accused of playing the long game, spending years constructing a fake identity based on a pile of real documents that belong to someone else. houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

The particulars of local prosecutions shed light on the complexities and cruelties of passport fraud, a crime that has become far more difficult to pull off as official IDs become increasingly high tech. houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

🗣️Nicholas Porter with @StateDeptDSS says con artists can’t just paste a photo into an existing passport like the old days. Instead, they have to build their way to a fake identity over time.
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

As for why they do this, the reasons are various: Some use it to conceal their true identity, gain access to a coveted profession or try to reap the benefits of citizenship.
📷 Nathan Lindstrom
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

Guedes is in custody pending trial for multiple charges. Investigators said when he was arrested, he told officials, “I had a dream, and the dream is over. Now I have to face reality.” houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…