Agents: Alamo man forged thousands of government IDs
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July 16, 2009 - 5:34 PM
Jeremy Roebuck

McALLEN — A man who allegedly told investigators he forged thousands of U.S. and Mexican identification cards and $10,000 in U.S. currency has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Miguel Wario Reyna, 38, told agents with the U.S. Secret Service that he had been running his forgery operation out of his Alamo home since the beginning of 2008 and had provided IDs to hundreds of illegal immigrants, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in his case.

He sold fake documents — including state ID, Mexican voter registration and permanent resident alien cards — for an average price of $80 each, the document states. He also reportedly admitted to passing the false currency at local Wal-Mart stores, usually about $1,000 at a time.

Secret Service agents arrested Reyna in June after he provided a forged Texas ID card, a Social Security card, a permanent resident card and a Mexican driver’s license to an undercover agent during a sting operation at an Alamo Wal-Mart.

A search of his home that same day yielded 20 more fake IDs as well as laminating tools, white plastic cards and computer programs suspected to be tools used in counterfeiting government documents.

Reyna’s attorney — Ricardo Alanis — declined to comment on the case Thursday, saying he had not had a chance to review government documents or confer with his client.

Reyna remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on four counts of counterfeiting money, producing false identification documents and distributing the fake IDs.

If convicted on all counts, he could face up to 20 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

The Secret Service investigates financial crimes in addition to providing presidential protection.


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