http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/wir ... un16.story

State authorities crack down on fraudulent documents ring



June 16, 2005, 5:46 PM EDT

TRENTON, N.J. -- A state grand jury has indicted 19 New Jersey residents accused of trafficking in fraudulent documents or using fraudulent documents to obtain driver's licenses or other valid identification.

The Attorney General's Office said Thursday that the indictments resulted from an investigation into an operation that sold fraudulent Philippine immigration and identification documents to illegal immigrants from that nation.

Of those indicted, 13 were arrested Wednesday morning, with authorities seeking the rest. Most of those indicted were Bergen County residents.

Eleven of the 13 were arraigned Thursday in state Superior Court in Monmouth County; the other two arraigned separately in Bergen and Ocean counties.

Bail was set at $100,000 for the alleged ringleader of the group, Romi Lumba, 47, of Teaneck, who remained in jail. Bail was set at $50,000 for the rest of the defendants.

Cracking down on identifications fraud is an important part of terrorism prevention efforts, state officials said.

"In this case, the individuals involved managed to obtain valid U.S. driver's licenses fraudulently, just as a number of the 9/11 hijackers did," said Sidney J. Caspersen, director of the New Jersey Office of Counter-Terrorism.