Man arrested in I.D. fraud case

July 8, 2011

Jeff Reinitz

WATERLOO --- A Waterloo man has been detained on allegations he supplied bogus identification documents.

Officers with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Francisco "Paco" Javier Banda, 36, of 550 Montero Drive, Tuesday on a complaint of selling fake Social Security cards.

The arrest comes following a Department of Homeland Security Investigations probe into fraudulent document sales to the local Hispanic community in the Waterloo area.

In May, an undercover informant working with HSI agents talked with Banda about obtaining an I-551 resident alien card and a Social Security card, according to court records. They met at Banda's home, and he took photos of the informant with his cell phone to be used for the identification card, records state.

The informant paid $220 for the documents, which arrived in the mail about a week later. The number on the resident alien card belonged to a Jordan native, and the Social Security number didn't match the name on the card, according to investigators.

Later that same month, the informant set up a second deal for five sets of documents. The cards were allegedly to be used for illegal workers and would be paid for by their employer. The price was $1,100 for all five, and an undercover agent posed as the boss.

During the transaction, Banda indicated he could get a Puerto Rican birth certificate and a matching Social Security card for $1,500 and told the informant the records could be used to get real drivers licenses in most states, court records state.

The five sets of immigration documents arrived in the mail in early June.

Banda had an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, and Magistrate Judge Jon Scoles ordered he remain in custody.

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