Thread: Fake IDs Easy To Get In Indianapolis

Beauty Salon Houses Illicit Operation, 6News Hidden Cam Shows


INDIANAPOLIS -- Government-issued IDs that take weeks or months to obtain legitimately are turning up on the streets of Indianapolis in about two hours.

A 6News hidden camera investigation found that various fake federal IDs were available at a store that looks like a beauty salon from the outside, 6News' Rafael Sanchez reported.

All customers needed to produce was cash and a post-it note with a name and address to secure a permanent resident card, known as a green card.

The card cannot legally be obtained from any source in Indianapolis.

Horacio Cortez, who runs the Cortez Agency from inside Sammy's Salon on West 38th Street, said the business works with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to help people with titles and plates, but Sanchez reported it also sells phony federal ID cards.

For $120, the agency provides a green card with a fingerprint. A picture is included in the price, and the store will throw in a Social Security card as part of the deal. The IDs are typically available to be picked up within a couple of hours.

6News visited the store on different days at different hours and came away with phony IDs on each occasion.

When Sanchez interviewed Cortez, he denied selling green cards, even after he was shown a couple of fake cards for which he had taken money.

"You say green cards from us? No, never." Cortez said, before referring 6News to a lawyer whose name he didn't provide.

Since Sept. 11, federal prosecutors have cracked down on people who put national security at risk, including those who create or use fake federal documents to hide their identities.

"The people who promulgated, to the extent they are counterfeiting, forging federal documents -- they will be investigated and prosecuted," said U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett.

While the Cortez Agency claimed to sell green cards and other identification with the latest holograms and security features, the documents produced are full of misspellings, Sanchez reported.

The owner of the beauty salon said he rents space to Cortez and was unaware of any illegal activity in his building. He told 6News not to come into his salon again.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/26828361/detail.html

I'm proud to say that could never happen here.

In Chicago, the alderman's father sells them.

Who would have thought! This is very interesting. Think there's any connection?

Census shows hispanic population booming in Indiana.
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-227811.html

The video at the link is a must see! Mentions there will be a follow up tonight so I hope loservillelabor adds it here when it becomes available.

These are the people we need to lock up in a Federal institution till they are so old they cannot read the postit notes.

New video at link:

Feds: Fake ID Operations A 'Great Vulnerability'
6News Investigation Uncovers Fake IDs, Green Cards Being Sold

POSTED: 4:16 pm EST February 11, 2011
UPDATED: 6:52 pm EST February 11, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS -- Fake ID operations, like the one exposed by a 6News hidden camera investigation, pose a real threat to national security, immigration officials said.

6News' Rafael Sanchez found that various fake federal IDs were available at a store on West 38th Street that looks like a beauty salon from the outside.

Horacio Cortez, who runs the Cortez Agency from inside Sammy's Salon, said the business works with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to help people with titles and plates, but Sanchez reported it also sells phony federal ID cards.

For $120, the agency provides a green card with a fingerprint. A picture is included in the price, and the store will throw in a Social Security card as part of the deal. The IDs are typically available to be picked up within a couple of hours.

Immigration officials in Chicago, who oversee enforcement in Indiana, stressed that green cards cannot legally be obtained from any source in Indianapolis.

"It needs to come from the federal government," said Marilu Cabrera with U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services.

Federal officials could not confirm if Cortez is the focus of an investigation but pointed to cases where similar operations were busted.

In Chicago, 23 people arrested in a counterfeit ring in 2007 are awaiting trial. In Louisville, Ky., three men were convicted after a 2009 raid.

"Document fraud presents a great vulnerability to our national security and immigration system," said Gail Montenegro with U.S. Immigration and Customs. "Fake documents are also purchased by criminals who create and operate schemes under new identities and could potentially create a national threat."

When Sanchez interviewed Cortez, he denied selling green cards, even after he was shown a couple of fake cards for which he had taken money.

"You say green cards from us? No, never." Cortez said, before referring 6News to a lawyer whose name he didn't provide.

The owner of the beauty salon said he rents space to Cortez and was unaware of any illegal activity in his building. He told 6News not to come into his salon again.

Previous Stories:
•February 11, 2011: Fake IDs Easy To Get In Indianapolis

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/26837572/detail.html

Thanks for the update lvl.

The news should have sent the feds in first, it would've made a better story with the arrest of....

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

The news should have sent the feds in first, it would've made a better story with the arrest of....

Feds from a Chicago office? Somebody got just sick of lawlessness or the TV station wouldn't have done this. Indy loves it's illegals.