Alma Patricia Contreras Villafana, 54, of South Los Angeles, a Mexican national who ignored a decades-old deportation order, was arrested today in Torrance on an eight-count federal indictment charging her with lying about being a U.S. citizen to secure a job at an aerospace manufacturer and U.S. military contractor. According to the indictment, Villafana first used the false claim in 1996 and repeated it as recently as 2026, despite a 2003 removal order. Over three decades, she obtained more than $1.4 million in wages through wire deposits. She also falsely claimed U.S. citizenship on multiple Form I-9s and used another person’s certificate of naturalization number to keep her job. She is charged with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, use of a false naturalization certificate, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. She is expected to make her initial appearance Monday in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.