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July 20, 2006
2 Texas Men Facing ID-Theft Charges
By JOHN HOLL
The New Jersey State Police arrested two Texas men on Wednesday and charged them with running an elaborate identity-theft ring that involved the printing and distribution of fake Social Security cards, passports and driver’s licenses, the authorities said today.

Jorge Pelcastre, 34, and Angel Pelcastre, 31, both of Dallas, were arrested inside a motel room in North Bergen, N.J., where they had been staying for several days printing up the forged documents, said a spokesman for the State Police, Capt. Al Della Fave. Earlier in the week the men were paid $6,000 in exchange for 500 Social Security cards.

“They had enough documentation to supply a lot of people with the means to move freely around the country,” Captain Della Fave said.

Investigators were alerted to the men’s activity by the motel manager who noticed their suspicious behavior, said Captain Della Fave, who declined to release the name of the motel because the investigation remained active. After setting up surveillance, detectives saw the men leave the motel and purchase large quantities of computer paper at an office supply store. They then stopped at a storage facility in Secaucus before returning to the motel room.

Several minutes later, the authorities entered the room and received the men’s permission to search the room and the storage facility, Captain Della Fave said. Investigators discovered that the they had just run a test batch of Social Security cards.

“They had a computer with a printer and programs that had every state’s driver’s license,” said Sgt. Cesar Huaman of the State Police’s corporate outreach squad. “They even had raised laminate to make the licenses. It is a very sophisticated operation.”

Captain Della Fave said investigators had found about $500,000 worth of fraudulent documents, including resident alien cards, United States passports, birth certificates, driver’s licenses and Social Security cards. The men are being held without bail in the Bergen County jail as the investigation continues.



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