Thread: Chicago:Feds crack alleged fake document business

Feds crack alleged fake document business

By Donna Leinwand, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Federal agents charged 22 people with operating a massive fake document business in Chicago that they say provided thousands of illegal aliens with fake immigration papers, drivers licenses and other documents.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday says the Chicago branch of a Mexican crime family produced more than 15,000 bogus identification documents each year since 2003.

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who represents the community where the raid took place, called it "an outrage and completely excessive."

"It only served to frighten and intimidate a vulnerable community and to drive a wedge between law enforcement and immigrants," Gutierrez said in a statement.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald at a news conference insisted that the federal prosecution was "not motivated by anything else other than enforcing the law."
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"This group is making a lot of money, breaking the law, exposing our country to risk," he said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials say the indictment and arrests are part of a widespread effort to shut down burgeoning fake- document mills that are using increasingly sophisticated methods to outwit authorities. Last year, ICE created 11 task forces aimed at investigating document fraud. ICE on Thursday will add task forces in Baltimore, Chicago, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco and Tampa, said Julie Myers, ICE assistant secretary.

"The problem is immense," Myers said. "We've seen numerous nationwide and international franchises. We believe that terrorists and other criminals commonly use false identification to further their illicit schemes."

Agents in Chicago arrested 12 people named in the indictment on Tuesday, but are still searching for 10 others. Four of the people are thought to be in Mexico, Fitzgerald said.

Federal agents also searched a basement apartment, a photo shop in a local mall, and two homes. The agents seized computers, scanners, printers and hundreds of blank identification cards, the Justice Department said.

The document dealers employed illegal immigrants to sell fake driver's licenses, green cards and Social Security numbers in the parking lot of a mall in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, court papers say. The sellers, as many as 20 at a time, worked in shifts, selling documents from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for $200 to $300 for a set. The operation sold 50 to 100 document sets per day, the indictment says.

Prosecutors say the business netted between $2 million and $3 million a year and had been in operation at least four years.

Nuevo Foto Munoz, the photo shop searched by federal agents, is owned by Elias Munoz, the father of local Chicago Alderman Ricardo Munoz. Agents served a search warrant and seized some cameras and records, but did not detain, arrest or charge his father, Ricardo Munoz said.

Federal agents went too far, Munoz said.

"Several federal agencies rolled into my neighborhood fully armed with shot gunds and machine guns and sequestered a shopping mall in the middle of my neighborhood for several hours," Munoz said. "When the feds have an arrest warrant and know where the people live, there is no need to militarize an urban community. It sent chills, it struck fear in the heart of the community."

The indictment also charges members of the group with smuggling people into the USA.

Prosecutors say the Chicago cell run by Julio Leija-Sanchez, 31, of Oak Lawn, Ill., is tied to a Mexican crime family that operates fake document businesses in Denver and Los Angeles. Leija, arrested Tuesday by federal agents, is charged with conspiring to commit murder outside the USA. Leija paid $3,000 to Gerardo Salazar-Rodriguez to kill competitors known as "Montes" and "Bruno," the indictment says.

Salazar, who is also charged in the indictment but has not been arrested, allegedly killed "Montes," a taxi driver, by shooting him 15 times, the court papers say. Montes was tied to a group of former cell members who attempted to leave the group and open a competing business in Indiana, the indictment says.

The indictment includes transcripts of conversations between Leija and Salazar in which they allegedly plan the murders.

Contributing: Judy Keen in Chicago

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington ... ness_N.htm

Several federal agencies rolled into my neighborhood fully armed with shot gunds and machine guns and sequestered a shopping mall in the middle of my neighborhood for several hours

I get so sick and tired of hearing crap like this. Of course they carry guns. If you read two paragraphs down it tells about a guy getting shot 15 times. It is sad that our law enforcement officers have to be so heavily armed but they have to be able to defend themselves. This is a multi-million dollar business. Our police are not so dumb as to believe that someone would not be guarding an operation like this.

It sent chills, it struck fear in the heart of the community

Heart of what community? The criminal/illegal alien one?? Good! Law abiding legal citizens and residents should be out in the street cheering!

I don't have any sympathy. The police from countries were they came from carry machine guns.

I've been to Mexico, Jamaica they carry machine guns in public!

They are lawbreakers they should self deport if they are so scared of getting caught and deported AT tax payer EXPENSE!

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who represents the community where the raid took place, called it "an outrage and completely excessive."

"It only served to frighten and intimidate a vulnerable community and to drive a wedge between law enforcement and immigrants," Gutierrez said in a statement.

This statement amazes me. Is there no end to Gutierrez' justification of illegal immigration and the crimes associated with it? How can he possibly justify a statement like this?

Is Gutierrez absolutely out of his mind??? Can we count on hispanic legislators to look out for the good of this country rather than the good of some of their relatives?? This is utterly mad.
In the next election this buffoon should be voted out of office.
The fact that he would balk at sensible laws being enforced is absolutely unbelieveable. My God, what are we coming to??

Luis Gutierrez is a hate-filled racist who puts Hispanics above all else. I wish he would be thrown out of office, but I'm sure his electoral district is so gerrymandered he is guaranteed a seat for life

Hmmm.........ICE is active in Chicago, yet Elvira Arellano remains free?