Thread: NC- DMV: Ill. imm. plotted , hundreds of fake documents

DMV: Illegal immigrants plotted to manufacture hundreds of fake documents
Comments 4
Tuesday, Sep 15 2009, 7:24 am
Amanda Memrick

Three Hispanics believed to be here illegally face charges of bribing a Gaston County driver license examiner with $300 to get a driver’s license, according to arrest warrants and affidavits.

DMV inspectors arrested Claudia Morales Rodriguez, 29, and Alfredo Lopez Hernandez, 29, both of Gastonia, and Juan Alberto Goddy Vasquez, 37, of Kings Mountain on charges of attempting to bribe a state driver license examiner to obtain a driver’s license.

All three are believed to be in the country illegally, according to the DMV. They were placed in Gaston County Jail under $10,000 bonds Monday. Their release remains on hold by Immigration and Customs Enforcement pending a review of their immigration status, according to Gaston County Sheriff's Office.

The arrests stem from an investigation of a document lab that had equipment and materials to manufacture counterfeit resident alien cards, Social Security cards, birth certificates and driver licenses from six states, according to a release from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

DMV inspectors arrested Mario Ziranda, 35, and Elvis Sanchez, 28, at their residence at 272 Roberson Lane, Forest City. They face charges of common law forgery, manufacturing North Carolina driver licenses, felony trafficking of identification documents, possession and delivery of cocaine and misuse of vital records.

Searching the Forest City residence revealed ledgers showing hundreds of fake document sales weekly, according to the release. Driver licenses from California, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio and North Carolina were found at the location, along with Social Security cards and a Maryland birth certificate. Investigators also seized $8,000 in cash and 15 grams of cocaine.

Sanchez has no legal United States documentation, according to the release. Both are being held on $75,000 secured bond in Rutherford County Jail.

DMV spokeswoman Marge Howell said she didn’t know how the three suspects in Gaston County were connected to the Rutherford County suspects, but all were part of the same investigation.

“We have had a lot of these things happen, pop up all over the state,â€

Gastonia Police Sgt. Jimmy West said none of the trio arrested in Gaston County spoke English. One had been here 15 years, another had been here for nine years and the third had been here for six years, he said.


So....6, 9 and 15 years to commit how many other crimes.