Amazing Randi's companion pleads guilty to passport fraud

[salvorhardin]

I don't have too much to say about this, but it's definitely sad. It seems almost certain that Randi knew about the identity theft too, but if my significant other was facing deportation -- because the laws didn't allow us to be married -- I don't think I'd have done anything different.

A celebrated local artist who lived for 24 years under a stolen identity pleaded guilty Wednesday to a passport fraud charge, leaving him to fight deportation to his native Venezuela.

Deyvi Pena, 50, spent most of his adult life as "Jose Luis Alvarez" with his colorful, modernist paintings exhibited in New York, Miami and San Francisco. He often could be found by the side of his longtime companion, the famed magician and professional skeptic James "The Amazing" Randi.

Pena's lie unraveled when the real Jose Luis Alvarez, a teacher's aide from the Bronx, applied for a passport in 2010 and federal authorities figured out that one had already been issued under that name. Pena was arrested in September at the Plantation home he shares with Randi, admitting his true identity six weeks later so he and Randi could post a million-dollar bond to get him out of jail.

Full news report: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/fl-jose-alvarez-amazing-randi-plea-20120314,0,4893077.story

[siligut]

1. If you are going to steal an identity

Shouldn't you steal it from a dead person? At least that is what they always do in the movies.

[Ron Obvious]

2. Well,

Well, clearly that means Uri Geller and Peter Popoff were psychic after all.

I've been reading about this on Randi's web site the last few weeks; it's a sad story. For those who don't know "Jose Alvarez" is the "Carlos" described in Carl Sagan's Demon-Haunted world chapter about the Australian hoax.