Bulgarian Who Stole ID in US to Change Plea to Guilty - Report

Bulgarian Doitchin Krastev is charged with aggravated identity theft and making a false statement on a passport. File photo

A Bulgarian man, who allegedly assumed the identity of a slain boy in the United States, is expected to plead guilty to at least one federal crime, reports say.

Citing court records, The Oregonian reported that Doitchin Krastev, who pleaded not guilty in the middle of October, is scheduled to change his plea Nov. 3 before U.S. District Judge James Redden in Portland.

Federal investigators believe that in 1996 he stole the identity of Jason Evers, a three-year-old boy who was murdered in 1982, and used it to get a job with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

Count one charges Krastev with knowingly making false statements on his passport application on Oct. 23, 2002, by using the name, social security number and date of birth of Jason Robert Evers.

Count two charges him with aggravated identity theft on March 10, 2008, for using the boy's social security number in an application for the job of regional manager with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

The man, who brought him to Bulgaria in 1992 - attorney Michael Horowitz, says he hoped that Krastev would use his time in the United States to prepare for a leadership role upon his return to Bulgaria. He explained that one day, but learned quickly that Krastev did not share that goal.

"He would say, 'I'm not Bulgarian. Stop it,'" Horowitz recalled.

Instead, Horowitz believes, Krastev came to love American life and didn't want to return to Bulgaria, where "the only way you got something was by taking it from someone else.

"He wanted a culture of freedom," Horowitz said. "He wanted a culture where trusting somebody didn't make you a sucker."

Last summer, a federal granted Krastev's request to be married while he awaited trial in the Inverness Jail in Portland.

The Oregon reports that Krastev hasn't yet filed the paperwork that would allow a member of the clergy to preside over the marriage inside the jail, according to Lt. Mary Lindstrand, a spokeswoman for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

Krastev's immigration status remains in question, too. Approached by The Oregon, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined comment on the case Monday.

The agency typically waits until after a foreigner pleads guilty to a crime before deciding whether to begin deportation proceedings.

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