Bakersfield man indicted in immigration ID fraud case

Last Update: 5/21 8:03 pm



A local man has been indicted on charges he ran a green-card forgery factory at his south Bakersfield home. A federal grand jury charged Ramiro Briseno-Lopez, 37, with possession, transfer, production, and sale of fraudulent United States immigration and Social Security identification.

He was arrested at his home on Silver Maple Court, near Panama Lane and Highway 99, on May 7. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and investigators from the Department of Motor Vehicles searched his house that day and said they found computers, printers, laminators and cameras.

''According to documents filed in court, Briseno-Lopez would meet prospective purchasers in public locations, take their pictures and biographical details, return to his own residence to produce the documents, and then provide the purchaser with the fraudulent documents,'' according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

That kind of forgery is not just an immigration crime, said Michael Toms, resident agent in charge for the ICE Office of Investigations in Bakersfield. It can be a danger to national security.

“Counterfeit documents can potentially be used by dangerous criminals and others who are attempting to obscure their identities and cover their tracks,â€