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Published Thursday, May 26, 2005

Fake IDs Are Common Among Illegal Immigrants

By Diane Lacey Allen
The Ledger

In February, at El Tequila Night Club in Winter Haven, Polk County sheriff's Lt. Paul Kurtzweil questioned a driver who backed over a sign in the parking lot.

The driver, Jario Monroy, told the officer he tried to leave because he was scared. He did not have a driver license.

But Monroy, a native of Mexico, did produce a resident alien card that Kurtzweil quickly determined was fake because it had no hologram, the color on the back was incorrect, the type was too high and another typographical element was missing from the laminate.

"He admitted that the identification was counterfeit and that he bought it in Atlanta," Kurtzweil wrote in his report. "He added that he needed it to work."

Although no official numbers exist on how many illegal immigrants are in Polk, the influx of undocumented workers appears to be on the rise. And with that has come arrests for fake IDs.

"Probably a rough estimate is 80 percent of the migrants I come in contact with -- that come here for labor -- tell you they're illegal," said Kurtzweil. "Yet they have jobs, so they probably have one of those cards."

But while some view having a fake ID as a victimless crime -particularly when it is used to gain employment so money can be sent home to Mexico -- the actions have a ripple effect.

The names or Social Security numbers often belong to innocent people, who find themselves sorting out problems with the IRS after someone using their name or Social Security number gets paid for picking fruit.

"They're assuming identities with these numbers . . .," Kurtzweil said. "It's not uncommon to get a call within an hour (that) this person was arrested under a different name and has warrants in other locations."

Kurtzweil said a recent trend locally is the increased use of fake Mexican driver licenses. One reason may be the difficulty illegal immigrants now have getting or renewing a Florida driver license.

Laws passed in 1999 and 2002 require original immigration documents, such as a permanent resident card (known as a Green Card), which has "severely restricted" immigrants from getting a license, according to the Florida Immigrant Coalition.

Florida considers Mexican driver licenses legitimate identification and valid for driving in the state. Bogus ones, however, can be hard for officers to spot.

"It's too easy to check on a United States document . . .," Kurtzweil said. "But most deputies or police (officers) wouldn't have any idea if it's (a Mexican license) a fraud.

But Kurtzweil is versed in differences between a legitimate license or Social Security card and a fake. He has helped other deputies learn the telltale signs and how to pick up on things such as a smudged fingerprint or an incorrect country code.

A recent bust shed light on how people obtain bogus identification.

In January, Polk County deputies, responding to a domestic violence call, found a counterfeiting operation in the kitchen of Olivia Hernandez, a 23-year-old Winter Haven resident.

They found fake Mexican driver licenses and resident alien and Social Security cards. Hernandez eventually pleaded guilty and received 18 months probation and 100 hours community service.

Hernandez, who reportedly had been making the IDs for about a year, appeared to use a laminator, cut up photos, school glue and a typewriter.

According to police reports, she was charging about $60 for a counterfeit card.

Kurtzweil said it's common to buy a bogus Social Security card and Mexican driver licenses at the same time. The going rate is $100 for both.

The system often works like this: The counterfeiter shows up in a car, lines up customers for photos, then returns with the finished product. Others are fabricated on computers.

Deputies often discover bogus cards during traffic stops.

In April 2004, Raul MerinoMartinez was found to be driving without a license in Haines City. When a deputy checked his identification, he admitted that his resident alien and Social Security cards were fake.

Merino-Martinez, who was born in Mexico, negotiated a plea with the State Attorney's Office in July. He was adjudicated guilty, sentenced to 18 months probation and ordered to maintain full-time employment.

He violated his probation in September, was re-arrested and sentenced to six months in the Polk County Jail on May 4.

Monroy, who backed over the sign at the Winter Haven club, was arrested for possessing a fraudulent ID card, a third-degree felony, and driving without a license, a second-degree misdemeanor. He did not appear for his arraignment on March 29. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

Diane Lacey Allen can be reached at diane.allen@theledger.com or 863-802-7514.