Nine illegal immigrants arrested in Fort Worth in fake document scheme

10:38 AM CST on Tuesday, November 24, 2009
By SARAH ACOSTA / The Dallas Morning News

Nine illegal immigrants were arrested in Fort Worth last week on charges accusing them of making and selling fake government documents.

Using an inexpensive printer program and a laminating machine, the men falsified driver licenses, Social Security cards, permanent-resident alien cards and even high school IDs, said Sgt. Pedro Criado, a Fort Worth Police spokesman.

"Some of the Social Security and driver license numbers were legitimate numbers," Criado said. "If presented with either of the two and you didn't have a way to run the numbers, you would most likely not be able to tell they were fake."

The case was investigated by the Fort Worth police and intelligent units, the U.S. Secret Service and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Investigators were also assisted by a tip to Crime Stoppers, Criado said.

The suspects, who were all arrested Thursday, are Fernando Garcia-Perez, 34; Jose Mancera-Rosas, 36; Ricardo Solano Moran, 38; Juan Andres Puga, 25; Guillermo Blanco Lastra, 19; Arturo Guajardo Correa, 39; Felipe de Jesus Reyes, 31; Jonathan Melgar Verdago, 20; and Omar Virrueta Gomez, 28.

All were being held in the Mansfield Jail and face charges of engaging criminal organized crime/tampering with government records. Because of their immigration status, they are being held without bail.


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