Thread: Forgery factory bust nabs nine illegal aliens

http://news.bostonherald.com/immigratio ... eid=143610

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - Updated: 03:51 AM EST

Nine illegal aliens allegedly trafficking in bogus Social Security and green cards have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown on Hub area forgery factories helping undocumented immigrants become card-carrying Americans.

“To somebody who’s able to get a fake ID, that’s the ticket to the big dance,” Middlesex Sheriff James DiPaola said yesterday in helping U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan announce the crackdown.

“What we’ve done,” DiPaola said, “is put the ticket agents out of business.”



The sweeping busts marked the first coup by the new multiagency Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force - one of only 10 such groups in the country.

Sullivan said the fraudulent Social Security and green cards bore the names of the illegal immigrants who purchased them, but the numbers most likely belong to legitimate citizens.

One alleged forger, whom Sullivan declined to name, has been pulling in $10,000 a week for at least five years by selling the cards for less than $200 each.

Arrested last week on federal charges of selling fraudulent United States identification documents were Rubens Pereira, 36, of Malden, Luciano Santos, 44, of Medford, Eclair Teixeria, 41, of Framingham, and brothers Juan Ramirez, 36, and Ismael Chavez, 25, of Lawrence.

Also, Maria Costa, 33, of Hull, Ricardo Alves, 50, of Somerville, and his wife, Cleonice Sousa, 42, and Matusalem Da Rochia, 20, of Worcester.

Sullivan - a table of counterfeit Social Security and Resident Alien cards splayed before him - said seven of the nine defendants were already wanted on warrants to boot them out of the country.

When genuine, a Social Security card like the ones the defendants allegedly fabricated on computers “is the key to opening the door to legal, lawful, American identity,” Sullivan said, including applying for jobs, credit cards, a driver’s license and government benefits.

“It is understandable,” Sullivan added, “that many from around the globe would want to live and work and raise a family here in the greatest democracy in the world. However, this must be done in compliance with U.S. immigration laws, not in violation of them.”

Said Matthew Etre, acting special agent in charge of ICE’s Boston field office, “Document fraud is a serious crime and the scope of this crime is pervasive and growing. Document labs and document vendors are criminal enterprises.”

lsweet@bostonherald.com.

I am willing to bet Mexican consulates have already directed El Bushero to drop all charges and the defendants have been released. The view of the Mexican government is they weren't expected to comply with any laws in their country so why should they do so in ours? And they say the senate has granted amnesty to illegal aliens for their sins.