Richmond man in Virginia-based ID theft ring gets prison

By: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Richmond Times Dispatch
Published: February 04, 2012

RICHMOND, Va. --

A Richmond man who was part of a violent fake identification ring has been sentenced to nine years in prison and will be deported to Mexico after serving his sentence.

Federal prosecutors say 20-year-old Erik Martinez-Ortiz was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court after admitting to his participation in a racketeering conspiracy. Immigration officials say Martinez-Ortiz was in the U.S. illegally.

The government says Martinez-Ortiz was among 30 people who participated in an enterprise that sold fake IDs to illegal immigrants. The ring had its roots in Mexico and operated in 19 cities and 11 states, from Massachusetts to Arkansas.

Prosecutors said the ring protected its turf through violence.

Twenty-six defendants in the ID ring have pleaded guilty.

Richmond man in Virginia-based ID theft ring gets prison | Richmond Times-Dispatch