| The Supreme Court agreed today to hear an appeal in a case where an illegal immigrant was convicted of aggravated identity theft because his false Social Security number belonged to someone else. Ignacio Flores-Figueroa, a Mexican national who worked at L&M Steel in East Moline, Ill., and who was convicted of aggravated identity theft, has argued that the prosecutors must prove he knew the identification he possessed belonged to another person. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his argument and affirmed the conviction in April. More than 300 illegal immigrants in Postville were convicted of aggravated identity theft on the same reasoning, and were sentenced to either five months in prison or five months probation. Appellate courts have been split on the issue. |