An illegal immigrant who assumed the identity of a dead relative and became a Milwaukee police officer has been taken off the department’s payroll

Associated Press:

Anne E. Schwartz said Monday the move was taken against Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, 24, who is charged with falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen.

If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

He was taken off the payroll Friday on the advice of the city attorney’s office, Schwartz said.

Fired officers continue to be paid in Milwaukee until their appeal is exhausted under a state law unique to the city’s police force, but Deputy City Attorney Rudolph Konrad said that law did not apply in this case.

“Federal law trumps state law,” he said.

Federal prosecutors contend that, while he was in high school in Milwaukee, Ayala-Cornejo assumed the identity of Jose Morales, a dead cousin who was a U.S. citizen.

Schwartz also said Ayala-Cornejo’s brother, Alexander Ayala, who is also a Milwaukee police officer but is a U.S. citizen, has been assigned to administrative duty.

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