Man accused of DUI used dead brother's identity to work in the U.S.: Mesa Police

MESA, Ariz. - Court documents state a man arrested for alleged DUI has been using a dead person's identity to work in the U.S.

According to Mesa Police investigators, the man, identified as 52-year-old Omar Delacruz Ortega, was contacted by police just after 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 in the area of Extension and University in Mesa for allegedly driving without headlights.

"The defendant admitted to drinking two hours before driving. He was arrested for a DUI," read a portion of the documents. "The defendant presented a Honduras driver's license, and a records check showed no record under the name on the license."

Investigators said Ortega, who is also known as "Omar Ruiz Ortega," was taken to a Mesa Police holding facility, where he was photographed and fingerprinted.

"The fingerprints showed a record under a different name," read a portion of the court documents.

Police said Ortega, after he was read his Miranda rights, admitted to using his dead brother's name in order to work in the U.S., because he was previously deported.

"The defendant also admitted to using his deceased brother's name for the past ten years," read a portion of the court documents.

Ortega, according to court documents, is accused of taking the identity of another person, which is a felony. A judge has released him on his own recognizance.

According to Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute, release on one's own recognizance, also known as ‘R.O.R.,' is a decision by a court to allow a person charged with a crime to remain at liberty, pending trial, without having to post bail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 21.