May 19, 2026
Your honor,
My name is Joseph Puente and I am writing to describe how this crime has affected me and to ask the Court to impose the maximum sentence that is called for in this case.
Before my identity was stolen by the defendant, I had spent years rebuilding my credit from a previous low point through careful, consistent effort. I did the slow work: paying down debts, making on-time payments, and being deliberate about every financial decision. Seeing my credit damaged again by actions I did not take was devastating. Accounts I never opened and debts I never incurred appeared under my name, undoing years of hard work and stability.
The impact has been more than financial. Knowing that someone appropriated my identity has left me feeling violated, exposed, and unsafe in ways that are difficult to describe in simple terms. My personal information—something I always assumed was fundamentally mine—was taken and used as a tool for someone else’s gain. That has permanently changed how I relate to financial institutions, to online systems, and to the idea that my identity is something I can reliably protect.
Because I live with general anxiety disorder, I have not been able to engage in the kind of prolonged, stressful back-and-forth with creditors and agencies that many victims are expected to undertake. The idea of spending hours on calls, retelling the story to strangers, and fighting through complex systems is overwhelming and, for me, often debilitating. That has left me carrying the weight of this harm without the sense that I can fully fight back against it. The crime did not just damage my credit; it exploited my vulnerabilities and made the recovery process even harder.
As a disabled veteran, my employment is not directly tied to my credit score in the same way it may be for some others, but that does not reduce the seriousness of what happened to me. This has affected my financial stability, my long-term planning, and my basic sense of security. Routine financial tasks now come with added stress and second-guessing. There is always a question in the back of my mind about what else might still be out there under my name.
This crime has had a lasting emotional and psychological impact on me, and it continues to affect my daily life. I am asking the Court to take this harm seriously and to impose a sentence that reflects the real damage that identity theft causes to people like me. I believe a strong sentence is necessary not only to hold this defendant accountable, but also to recognize the vulnerability of victims whose lives are disrupted in ways that may not always be visible in writing.
Thank you for considering my statement.
Respectfully submitted.
(signed)
Joseph L. Puente
Salt Lake City, Utah
