Thread: CA: 3 linked to illegal documents conspiracy in Tulare

3 linked to illegal documents conspiracy in Tulare



9:00 PM, Apr. 21, 2011 |
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LUIS HERNANDEZ


Three men who conspired to produce and sell false immigration documents in Tulare were indicted Thursday and are scheduled to be arraigned in federal court today, authorities said.

Ruben Gonzalez Gonzalez, 44, Margarito Zavala Barrera, 32, and Noel Fernando Canales Amador, 28, face charges of conspiracy and possession, transportation, production and sale of fraudulent immigration documents.

Zavala is also charged with being a previously deported alien found in the United States. Gonzalez and Zavala are from Mexico, while Canales is a Honduran national. The three men will appear in Fresno before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila Oberto.

According to court documents, between Dec. 21 and April 6, Gonzalez met customers in a public location in Tulare, took their pictures and collected biographical information. He then contacted Zavala or Canales, who produced the requested documents. Gonzalez then sold the completed documents to the customers.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both.

"Anyone who knowingly and indiscriminately sells phony identity cards is putting the security of our communities and even our country at risk," said Paul Leonardi, resident agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Fresno. "Counterfeit documents can potentially be used by dangerous criminals and others who are attempting to obscure their identities and cover their tracks."

www.visaliatimesdelta.com

I.C.E. News Release

April 21, 2011
Fresno, CA

3 men charged in ICE probe targeting central California phony document ring

FRESNO, Calif. - Two Mexican nationals and a Honduran native were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury here following a joint probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California Department of Motor Vehicles into a Tulare County-based document counterfeiting scheme.

Ruben Gonzalez-Gonzalez, 44, of Mexico, Margarito Zavala-Barrera, 32, of Mexico, and Noel Fernando Canales-Amador, 28, of Honduras, are charged with conspiracy, possession, transfer, production, and sale of fraudulent immigration and identification documents.

According to court documents, between December 2010 and April 6, Gonzalez Gonzalez met customers in a public location in Tulare, took their pictures and collected biographical information. Then he would contact Zavala-Barrera or Canales Amador to produce the requested documents. Upon request, Zavala-Barrera and Canales-Amador would produce and provide the completed documents to Gonzalez-Gonzalez who would sell them to the customer. Zavala Barrera is also charged with being a previously deported alien found in the United States.

"Those who knowingly and indiscriminately sell phony identity documents are putting the security of our communities and even our country at risk," said Paul Leonardi, resident agent in charge of ICE HSI in Fresno. "Counterfeit documents can potentially be used by dangerous criminals and others who are attempting to obscure their identities and cover their tracks."

The defendants, who face a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison, will be arraigned April 22 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheila K. Oberto. The case is being prosecuted Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Garriques from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1104/110421fresno.htm