PHOENIX, Arizona — Enrrique Ricardo Diaz Vazquez, a 60-year-old Mexican national, was indicted on March 25, 2025, for passport and visa fraud after living as Gene Edward Katzorke, a deceased U.S. citizen, for over 40 years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced. Diaz Vazquez first got a U.S. passport in 1986 using Katzorke’s Arizona license and birth certificate, renewing it multiple times until a 2022 application flagged an obituary for Katzorke, who died in 1966 at age 2.
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) and Social Security Administration’s Inspector General dug in, linking Katzorke’s name to Diaz Vazquez in criminal databases. On March 7, 2025, Diaz Vazquez showed up at the Western Passport Center in Tucson for a renewal appointment under Katzorke’s name and was arrested. He admitted his real identity—born in Guadalajara, Mexico—and said he picked Katzorke’s name from a cemetery to join the U.S. military. He served but fled to Mexico after facing homicide charges in Tucson involving a nine-month-old infant. Deported back to the U.S. as a supposed citizen, he kept using the alias.
Passport and visa fraud carries up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Diaz Vazquez is presumed innocent until proven guilty, with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sydney Yew prosecuting. The case highlights how long someone can live under a stolen identity—Diaz Vazquez pulled it off for decades until a routine check unraveled it.
