U.S. uncovers major immigration ID fraud scheme
washingtonexaminer.com
by Joel Gehrke
January 11, 2012 2:33pm
Conspirators across Puerto Rico and the continental United States stole the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and then sold the documents -- such as Social Security cards and birth certificates -- to illegal immigrants, the Department of Justice and U.S. immigration officials announced today.
The fraud ring was indicted December 29th, 2011, with "traffick[ing] the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens, corresponding Social Security cards, Puerto Rico birth certificates and other identification documents to undocumented aliens and others residing in the United States," according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This consipracy has operated at least since April of 2009.
The documents could be purchased for "prices ranging from $700 to $2500 per set," ICE charges.
"We believe hundreds and hundreds of identifications [were sold]," Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer told reporters on a conference call today. ICE Director John Morton noted on the same call that this 50-person indictment marks one of the three largest indictments handed down regarding identity fraud. Two smaller indictments were handed down in two states, to bring the approximate total of identity fraud conspirators to 70.
Breuer said that law enforcement officials "kept a keen eye" on the possibility that this fraud ring could be exploited by terrorists, but he told The Washington Examiner during the call that "there's no evidence in this case to suggest that those issues came to play."
U.S. uncovers major immigration ID fraud scheme | Campaign 2012 | Washington Examiner
Immigration officials accuse Worcester man of being ‘identity broker'
telegram.com
By Aaron Nicodemus
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
WORCESTER — One of 50 people swept up in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforcement action against a nationwide identity fraud ring is from the city.
ICE announced its arrest of 50 people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico this afternoon, the culmination of a two-year investigation into an identity-trafficking ring in which the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens were sold to others in more than a dozen U.S. cities, including Worcester.
Rafael Rivera Figueroa of Worcester is identified as an “identity broker” in federal court documents unveiled today along with the arrests.
From at least April 2009 to December 2011, conspirators in 15 states and Puerto Rico “trafficked the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens, corresponding Social Security cards, Puerto Rico birth certificates and other identification documents to undocumented aliens and others residing in the United States,” according to the ICE press release announcing the arrests.
According to the indictment, conspirators in Puerto Rico obtained Puerto Rican identities and identity documents, then sold Social Security cards and birth certificates for $700 to $2,500 per set.
“Identity brokers ordered the documents from the Puerto Rican suppliers, according to the indictment, by making coded telephone calls, using terms such as “shirts,” “uniforms” or “clothes,” to refer to identity documents. Specifically, the brokers asked for “skirts” for female customers and “pants” for male customers in various “sizes,” which referred to the ages of the identities sought by the customer,” the release said.
According to the indictment, Mr. Figueroa wired $300 from Western Union in February 2011 to Miledys Beltre in Puerto Rico. He ordered identity documents from Joaquin Beltre. In May, he received a parcel in his mailbox with “an unlawful document set and tax return documents related to the identity of the enclosed unlawful document set.”
As alleged in the indictment, “The customers generally obtained the identity documents to assume the identity of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and to obtain additional identification documents, such as legitimate state driver's licenses. Some customers allegedly obtained the documents to commit financial fraud and attempted to obtain a U.S. passport.”
Worcester Telegram & Gazette - telegram.com - Immigration officials accuse Worcester man of being 'identity broker'
Arrests in Puerto Rico, US in document fraud case
whbf.com
By DANICA COTO
Associated Press
Updated: Jan 11, 2012 3:59 PM EST
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Fifty people have been accused of conspiring to sell the identities of hundreds of Puerto Ricans to illegal immigrants in the U.S. mainland in the largest single fraud case ever for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, authorities said Wednesday.
Hundreds of birth certificates, Social Security numbers and driver's licenses were sold for up to $2,500 a set as part of a black market ring based in Puerto Rico that operated from since at least April 2009, according to ICE Director John Morton.
"The vast majority were legitimate documents obtained by fraudulent or false means," he said.
The alleged ring consisted of suppliers, runners and brokers, who made coded phone calls asking for "skirts" for female customers and "pants" for male customers in specific "sizes", which referred to ages and identities sought, according to ICE.
The documents would be sent through priority or express mail from Puerto Rico to brokers that operated in at least 15 states including Ohio, Texas, Florida and North Carolina, officials said.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer said suppliers even allegedly offered to exchange documents if customers were not satisfied, adding that he did not know how much money was made overall.
He said the investigation is still ongoing.
About 80 percent of the documents involved were sold by Puerto Ricans whose names were on them, officials said. Those documents often were then used to apply for a driver's license or a U.S. passport or to commit financial fraud.
Puerto Ricans are often an attractive target because they are U.S. citizens with Hispanic surnames.
Morton said another 20 arrest warrants were issued on Wednesday in separate but similar cases, with 61 of 70 suspects either arrested or whose surrender was arranged.
The probe began with a tip from police in Illinois, which led to a nearly two-year undercover investigation.
"We have gone after everyone involved in the chain: the leaders, the suppliers, the brokers, the runners," Morton said.
In 2010, The Associated Press reported that thousands of Puerto Ricans had become victims of identity fraud in part because the government, schools and other institutions did not secure copies of their birth certificates, which are routinely requested by sports leagues, churches and other groups.
In July 2010, Puerto Rico began annulling all old birth certificates and began issuing new ones with security features to cut down on theft and fraud cases. Morton and Breuer declined to comment on whether the measure has worked.
It is unclear how many new birth certificates have been issued. State Secretary Kenneth McClintock did not respond to requests for comment.
The 50 suspects were indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 29 on one charge each of conspiracy to commit identification fraud. If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison.
___
Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Arrests in Puerto Rico, US in document fraud case - CBS4 RTV4 WHBF Quad Cities, IL-IA News Weather Sports
Man arrested in Aurora as part of national ID theft bust
suntimes.com
By Matt Hanley
January 11, 2012 2:54PM
Updated: January 11, 2012 5:36PM
http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/csp/c...YPE=image/jpeg
A police officer escorts a man after his arrest in connection with a document fraud case in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday Jan. 11, 2012. Fifty people have been accused of conspiring to sell the identities of hundreds of Puerto Ricans to illegal immigrants on the U.S. mainland in the largest individual fraud case ever for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/El Vocero, Dennis A. Jones) PUERTO RICO OUT - NO USAR EN PUERTO RICO
Fifty people have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy to commit identification fraud in connection with a scheme to traffic the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens through fraudulent identity documents.
The indictment says that identity brokers were operating in Aurora and other towns in Illinois and more than a dozen other states.
The one-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Dec. 29 and unsealed Wednesday. Defendants were arrested Wednesday in areas across the United States and Puerto Rico and will make initial appearances in federal court in the districts in which they were arrested, federal officials said.
“The indictment unsealed today alleges that from April 2009 to December 2011, the defendants operated an extensive black market, identity fraud ring,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer.
“The alleged conspiracy stretched across the United States and Puerto Rico, using suppliers, identity brokers and mail and money runners to fill and deliver orders for the personal identifying information and government-issued identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.”
According to the indictment, conspirators in 15 states and Puerto Rico trafficked the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens — providing Social Security cards, Puerto Rico birth certificates and other identification documents to undocumented aliens and others in the U.S.
The indictment says the suspects in the Savarona area of Caguas, Puerto Rico, obtained the Puerto Rican identities and corresponding identity documents. Conspirators in locations around the U.S. — called identity brokers by the Justice Department — then solicited customers. The identity brokers allegedly sold Social Security cards and corresponding Puerto Rico birth certificates for prices ranging from $700 to $2,500 per set.
The identity brokers ordered the identity documents from Savarona suppliers by making coded telephone calls, including using terms such as “shirts,” “uniforms” or “clothes,” to refer to identity documents, the indictment said. Specifically, the brokers asked for “skirts” for female customers and “pants” for male customers in various “sizes,” which referred to the ages of the identities sought by the customers.
As alleged in the indictment, the customers generally obtained the identity documents to assume the identity of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and to obtain additional identification documents, such as legitimate state driver’s licenses.
The indictment says the identity brokers were operating in Aurora, DeKalb and Rockford in Illinois; and in towns in Indiana, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The Justice Department said the charges are the result of Operation Island Express, a nationally coordinated investigation led by the ICE-Homeland Security Chicago Office. The Elgin Police Department, Illinois Secretary of State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois are among dozens of agencies involved.
The Justice Department said a website will be established to provide information about the case to potential victims and the public. Anyone who believes their identity may have been compromised in relation to the investigation may contact the ICE toll-free hotline at 866-DHS-2ICE ( 866-347-2423 ) and its online tip form at Homeland Security Investigations Tip Line.
Man arrested in Aurora as part of national ID theft bust - Aurora Beacon News
Feds bust more than 60 in fraudulent document rings
By Terry Frieden,
CNN Justice Producer
updated 5:27 PM EST, Wed January 11, 2012
Washington (CNN) -- Federal agents Wednesday arrested more than 60 people in 17 states alleged to have been involved in conspiracies to provide fraudulent documents, top administration officials announced.
In the largest of three separate rings producing phony documents, 50 individuals were indicted. Authorities said by midafternoon 43 of the suspects had been arrested. Many of the arrests and searches occurred in Puerto Rico where the phony documents originated.
Justice and Department of Homeland Security officials said "hundreds upon hundreds" of sets of Social Security cards and Puerto Rico birth certificates had been sold for prices ranging from $700 to $2,500 per set.
Officials stressed the high priority the government places on cracking down on document trafficking.
"The conspiracy alleged to be perpetrated by those charged undermines the integrity of our national immigration system," said Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton.
Despite the widespread fraud, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer told reporters, "there is no evidence whatsoever" of any connection to potential terrorist groups or plots.
The document fraud ring was centered in Puerto Rico and spread to customers or brokers in 15 states. The investigation covered areas in Illinois, Indiana, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.
Authorities said the investigation leading to the major fraud ring began with a single incident in Elgin, Illinois.
Breuer and Morton said two other smaller document fraud rings had been busted.
One in Missouri involves 14 suspects, and all have been arrested.
In another case, four of six suspects have been arrested so far in Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Feds bust more than 60 in fraudulent document rings - CNN.com
Feds call Nebraska City man an identity broker in Puerto Rico scheme
By Dan Swanson
Nebraska City News Press
Posted Jan 11, 2012 @ 09:59 AM
Last update Jan 11, 2012 @ 03:33 PM
Nebraska City, Neb. —
Federal authorities took a Nebraska City man into custody Wednesday morning for alleged involvement as an “identity broker” in an international scheme to traffic identities of Puerto Rican citizens.
Nebraska City police and Otoe County sheriff's deputies assisted U.S. postal inspectors and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which oversees Homeland Security Investigations, to serve search and arrests warrants.
Officers entered a residence at 1208 Fourth Ave. around 6 a.m., but learned the suspect was no longer staying there.
An investigation led to a search of a home at the Nebraska City Mobile Home Community, where the man was taken into custody.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported this afternoon that 50 people were charged in a one-count indictment unsealed today in Puerto Rico with conspiracy to commit identification fraud.
Arrests were made in Puerto Rico and the United States.The Nebraska City man is expected to go before a federal court in Nebraska.
“The indictment unsealed today alleges that from April 2009 to December 2011, the defendants operated an extensive black market, identity fraud ring,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
“The alleged conspiracy stretched across the United States and Puerto Rico, using suppliers, identity brokers and mail and money runners to fill and deliver orders for the personal identifying information and government-issued identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.
Those willing to buy and sell personal identifying information and documents should take notice of today’s actions.
The department and our law enforcement partners will not allow this kind of illegal activity to continue,” Breuer said.
According to the indictment, from at least April 2009 to December 2011, conspirators in 15 states and Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, trafficked the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens, corresponding Social Security cards, Puerto Rico birth certificates and other identification documents to undocumented aliens and others residing in the United States.
The indictment alleges that suppliers located in the Savarona area of Caguas, Puerto Rico, obtained the Puerto Rican identities and corresponding identity documents. Identity brokers in various locations throughout the United States solicited customers.
The identity brokers allegedly sold Social Security cards and corresponding Puerto Rico birth certificates for prices ranging from $700 to $2,500 per set.
The indictment alleges that various identity brokers were operating in Nebraska City, Rockford, Ill.; Indianapolis; DeKalb, Ill.; Columbus and Seymour, Ind.; Aurora, Ill.; Hartford, Conn.; Clewiston, Fla.; Lilburn and Norcross, Ga.; Salisbury, Md.; Columbus, Ohio; Fairfield, Ohio; Dorchester, Mass.; Lawrence, Mass.; Salem, Mass.; Worcester, Mass.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nebraska City, Neb.; Elizabeth, N.J.; Burlington, N.C.; Hickory, N.C.; Hazelton, Pa.; Philadelphia; Houston; and Abingdon, Va.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as forfeiture.
Feds call Nebraska City man an identity broker in Puerto Rico scheme - Nebraska City, NE - Nebraska City News-Press
ICE: Hazleton man aided identity-trafficking operation
standardspeaker.com
Published: January 11, 2012
A Hazleton man was one of 50 people charged Wednesday for their alleged roles in an operation that trafficked the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens, along with corresponding Social Security cards, birth certificates and other documents, to illegal aliens and other people living in the United States.
Orlando Guzman Garcia, no address given, was identified as an "identity broker" in an indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit identification fraud.
The one-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Dec. 29 and unsealed Wednesday in Puerto Rico. Defendants were arrested in districts throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and will make initial appearances in federal court in the districts in which they were arrested.
Law enforcement agents also executed searches as part of an ongoing investigation known as "Operation Island Express."
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as forfeiture, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a news release.
Check back for updates and read the full story in Thursday's Standard-Speaker.
Read more: ICE: Hazleton man aided identity-trafficking operation - News - Standard Speaker
50 charged with fake identification trafficking, some with Grand Rapids ties
By Maria Amante
The Grand Rapids Press
Updated: Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 8:04 PM
Fifty people were charged with trafficking the identities of Puerto Rican citizens by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and arrested Wednesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the group, who they called "Operation Island Express," operated out of Grand Rapids and other cities nationwide.
The names of the individuals arrested were not revealed, and it is unclear how many were from Grand Rapids. Each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, as well as forfeiture if convicted.
The identity brokers allegedly sold Social Security cards and corresponding Puerto Rico birth certificates for prices ranging from $700 to $2,500 per set, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement release.
"Identity brokers ordered the identity documents from Savarona suppliers, on behalf of the customers, by making coded telephone calls, including using terms such as 'shirts,' 'uniforms' or 'clothes,' to refer to identity documents," the release said. "Specifically, the brokers asked for "skirts" for female customers and 'pants' for male customers in various 'sizes,' which referred to the ages of the identities sought by the customers."
The group's customers used the documents to obtain additional identification documents, like driver's licenses or passports or commit financial fraud.
E-mail the author of this story: Maria_Amante@mlivemediagroup.com
50 charged with fake identification trafficking, some with Grand Rapids ties | MLive.com
Indictment: St. Joseph was hub of nationwide immigration scheme
Kansas City Business Journal
Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 5:12pm CST
A Missouri Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph provided fraudulent identity documents to more than 3,500 illegal immigrants nationwide, according to allegations in a 40-count indictment unsealed Wednesday.
A federal grand jury in Kansas City indicted 14 defendants in a conspiracy that allegedly raked in more than $5 million since late 2009, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Those indicted included six members of a St. Joseph family and three Guatemalans living in Carthage, Mo.
“St. Joseph was the hub of a criminal conspiracy for thousands of illegal aliens who traveled to Missouri from across the country,” U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips said in the release. “Conspirators operated a vast black market where identities were bought and sold. It’s crucial for business and public safety that we maintain the integrity of government-issued IDs. Those who profited from this illegal scheme will be held accountable.”
The indictment was unsealed after several defendants were arrested and made initial court appearances.
Illegal immigrants allegedly would travel from across the country to St. Joseph, recruited and sometimes transported by conspirators. There, the undocumented immigrants would pay as much as $1,600 to get birth certificates and Social Security cards in others’ names, as well as Missouri residential addresses, which allowed them to get Missouri driver’s or non-driver’s licenses. They could use the licenses to stay in the United States and gain employment, among other things.
Proceeds allegedly amounted to more than $5.25 million.
A few San Antonio conspirators allegedly bought state-issued birth certificates and Social Security cards, typically from Texas residents, and mailed them to Missouri.
St. Joseph defendants allegedly went with the illegal immigrants to the license office, pretending to be translators, to help them get licenses under others’ names — after helping them practice forging the signatures and memorize the necessary information.
Defendants Deborah Flores, 46, and her son, 24-year-old Stephen Vanvacter, own A to Z Auto Credit LLC, a St. Joseph used-car dealership that they allegedly used to transfer funds among conspirators and to receive some of the mailed documents.
Other defendants include Flores’ sister, Sherri Gutierrez, 45, and Flores’ other children, Sara Gonzalez, 20; Christina Gonzalez, 23; and Jessica Mercedes Gonzalez, 21. All are from St. Joseph.
Beyond that family, defendants included three Guatemalan citizens living in Carthage, Mo.; three San Antonio residents, two of whom are Mexican citizens; a Mexican citizen living in Chicago; and a Guatemalan citizen living in Mt. Olive, N.C.
Seven of the defendants are in the United States unlawfully. Two previously were deported.
Indictment: St. Joseph was hub of nationwide immigration scheme - Kansas City Business Journal
Fifty held for selling US documents to illegal migrants
bbc.co.uk
11 January 2012
Last updated at 19:38 ET
Fifty people have been held over one of the largest fraud cases investigated by US immigration officials, involving alleged Puerto Rican identity theft.
The accused conspired to sell the identities of thousands of Puerto Ricans to illegal immigrants, US authorities say.
Legal documents were allegedly sold for as much as $2,500 (£1,631) per person.
Hundreds of birth certificates, Social Security numbers and driver's licences were bought since 2009, officials say.
A tip-off from police in the US state of Illinois prompted an almost two-year long undercover operation known as Island Express.
The 50 suspects have each been charged with conspiracy to commit identification fraud, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Clothing-measures code
A suspected network of people in several US states are said to have sold legal documents originating in the US island territory of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean as part of the alleged black-market ring.
Puerto Rican documents were especially coveted because they are legitimate US documents with Hispanic names - and many illegal immigrants to the US are originally from Latin American countries.
"The vast majority were legitimate documents obtained by fraudulent or false means,'' said Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton.
"We have gone after everyone involved in the chain: the leaders, the suppliers, the brokers, the runners.''
The alleged conspiracy was kept hidden through a sophisticated code system.
Go-betweens would make coded phone calls asking for skirts for female customers and pants for male customers in specific sizes which referred to the age and type of identity requested, the ICE alleges.
It is alleged that the suppliers even offered to exchange the documents if customers were not satisfied.
In 2010, thousands of Puerto Ricans were reported to have been subject to identity fraud and in July of that year the government began annulling old birth certificates and issuing new ones with added security features in order to address the problem.
It is not known how much money the gang made from the operation.
BBC News - Fifty held for selling US documents to illegal migrants
Criminal Alien Identity Theft Ring Uncovered in St. Joseph
thesource.typepad.com
Editorial Blog
January 12, 2012
Anyone familiar with St. Joseph over the last several years knows that things have been getting worse with regards to illegal immigration, with the St. Joseph area becoming home to one of the fastest growing populations of illegals in the nation.
But it seems that criminal aliens haven't just been heading to St. Joseph for the work, rather they've been travelling from across the country in droves to obtain fake documents like birth certificates and social security numbers from a massive identity theft ring.
Check out the highlights from this press release fresh out of the US Attorney's Office:
14 defendants, including six members of a St. Joseph, Mo., family and three Guatemalan nationals in Carthage, Mo., have been indicted by a federal grand jury for participating in a more than $5 million conspiracy that utilized the Missouri Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph to provide more than 3,500 fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens across the United States.
“St. Joseph was the hub of a criminal conspiracy for thousands of illegal aliens who traveled to Missouri from across the country,” Phillips said. “Conspirators operated a vast black market where identities were bought and sold. It’s crucial for business and public safety that we maintain the integrity of government-issued IDs. Those who profited from this illegal scheme will be held accountable.”
If you ever wonder why liberals fight so damn hard to keep illegal immigration and an open border on the table, this kind of crap is the answer... they know the illegals will find a way around it all and end up on those voter rolls eventually.
That's at least 3,500 new voters Obama can court this year in Missouri.
Conspirators allegedly provided illegal aliens with birth certificates and Social Security cards in the names of others and provided them with Missouri residential addresses.
The indictment alleges that illegal aliens would travel to St. Joseph from across the United States to obtain either a Missouri driver’s license or non-driver’s license by using the unlawfully obtained birth certificate and Social Security cards. The state licenses could then be used by the illegal aliens to remain unlawfully in the United States, to unlawfully obtain employment and for other unlawful purposes.
The money involved apparently ain't bad, either:
It is estimated that more than 3,500 licenses were issued to illegal aliens by the Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph, according to the indictment.
Illegal aliens each paid $1,500 to $1,600 to obtain documents and a license, the indictment says, totaling more than $5,250,000 in gross proceeds paid by illegal aliens to members of the conspiracy.
...that is until you get caught.
St. Joseph has a major problem with illegal immigrants using the lax local government offices to scam on the government.
In fact, in many St. Joseph offices bending over backwards for illegal aliens is encouraged and even enforced.
We'll have more on this in the next several days. For now, we can be thankful this operation has been shut down.
- B.H.
Criminal Alien Identity Theft Ring Uncovered in St. Joseph - The Source
St. Joseph, carthage residents among 14 indicted in $5 million conspiracy
St. Joseph, carthage residents among 14 indicted
in $5 million conspiracy to provide thousands
of identity documents to illegal aliens
http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/images/headLogo-mow.gif
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2012
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that 14 defendants, including six members of a St. Joseph, Mo., family and three Guatemalan nationals in Carthage, Mo., have been indicted by a federal grand jury for participating in a more than $5 million conspiracy that utilized the Missouri Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph to provide more than 3,500 fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens across the United States.
“St. Joseph was the hub of a criminal conspiracy for thousands of illegal aliens who traveled to Missouri from across the country,” Phillips said. “Conspirators operated a vast black market where identities were bought and sold. It’s crucial for business and public safety that we maintain the integrity of government-issued IDs. Those who profited from this illegal scheme will be held accountable.”
“The individuals involved in this conspiracy orchestrated an extensive identity fraud scheme on a grand scale,” said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations office in Chicago. “Identity and document fraud is a burgeoning problem in the United States that poses a direct threat to national security and public safety. Today’s charges reflect ICE HSI’s ongoing commitment to investigate this type of criminal activity and those who assume other people’s identities to skirt the law.”
“Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and investigators from the Missouri Department of Revenue were part of this state-federal-local investigation of conspirators who allegedly assisted illegal immigrants attempting to obtain identity documents fraudulently,” Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Lee said. “Today, that law enforcement partnership resulted in arrests in Missouri and Texas. The success of this investigation would not have been possible without outstanding cooperation between state, federal and local law enforcement agencies. I commend the troopers from the Highway Patrol, investigators from the Department of Revenue and the local and federal officers that have taken part in this investigation.”
Deborah J. Flores, 46, her sister, Sherri E. Gutierrez, 45, and Flores’s children, Stephen Eugene Vanvacter, 24, Sara M. Gonzalez, 20, Christina Michelle Gonzalez, 23, and Jessica Mercedes Gonzalez, 21, all of St. Joseph; Elder Enrique Ordonez-Chanas, also known as “Flaco,” 30, Nelson Dariseo Bautista-Orozco, 26, and Ranfe Adaias Hernandez-Flores, also known as “Miguel,” 22, all citizens of Guatemala residing in Carthage; Brenda De La Cruz, 32, of San Antonio, Texas; Martin Alejandro Llanas-Rodriguez, 29, and Julio Cesar Llanas-Rodrigues, both citizens of Mexico residing in San Antonio; Martin Lara-Rodriguez, 31, a citizen of Mexico residing in Chicago, Ill.; and Luis Adalberto Felipe-Lopez (identified in the indictment as “Joel LNU”), age unknown, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Mt. Olive, N. Carolina, were charged in a 40-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012. The indictment was unsealed and made public today upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.
The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants have participated in a conspiracy since November 2009 to transport illegal aliens, to unlawfully produce identification documents, to unlawfully transfer another person’s identification and to commit Social Security fraud.
In order to obtain a Missouri driver’s or non-driver’s license, applicants are required to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, which may be shown by a certified birth certificate. Applicants must also provide proof of their Social Security number and proof of a Missouri residential address. Conspirators allegedly provided illegal aliens with birth certificates and Social Security cards in the names of others and provided them with Missouri residential addresses.
The indictment alleges that illegal aliens would travel to St. Joseph from across the United States to obtain either a Missouri driver’s license or non-driver’s license by using the unlawfully obtained birth certificate and Social Security cards. The state licenses could then be used by the illegal aliens to remain unlawfully in the United States, to unlawfully obtain employment and for other unlawful purposes.
It is estimated that more than 3,500 licenses were issued to illegal aliens by the Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph, according to the indictment. Illegal aliens each paid $1,500 to $1,600 to obtain documents and a license, the indictment says, totaling more than $5,250,000 in gross proceeds paid by illegal aliens to members of the conspiracy.
According to the indictment, conspirators (including Carthage residents Ordonez-Chanas and Hernandez-Flores, as well as Lara-Rodriguez in Chicago and Felipe-Lopez in North Carolina) recruited illegal aliens as customers for fraudulent identification documents and then directed the illegal aliens to travel to St. Joseph to receive the documents. Sometimes conspirators provided transportation to St. Joseph, the indictment says. Felipe-Lopez allegedly transported illegal aliens back and forth between North Carolina and Missouri, and Hernandez-Flores allegedly transported illegal aliens back and forth between Carthage and St. Joseph.
San Antonio residents Martin and Julio Llanas-Rodriguez and De La Cruz allegedly purchased state-issued birth certificates and Social Security cards, usually from Texas residents who were willing to sell their identification documents. They allegedly mailed these documents to either Ordonez-Chanas in Carthage or to the St. Joseph defendants, the indictment says. The documents were then given to the illegal aliens when they arrived in St. Joseph, and the St. Joseph defendants collected payment from the illegal aliens.
The St. Joseph defendants allegedly accompanied illegal aliens into the local license office under the guise of being translators in order to assist them with obtaining a state license that was in the name of another person. The St. Joseph defendants instructed and assisted the illegal aliens to practice memorizing the information on the birth certificates and Social Security cards, the indictment says, and to practice signing the name so that the signatures would be similar. They also helped the illegal aliens prepare for potential questions from the license office employees, according to the indictment.
Flores and Vanvacter are the owners of A to Z Auto Credit LLC, a used car dealership in St. Joseph. According to the indictment, they used the business bank account to transfer funds among conspirators and as a mailing address to receive some of the mailed documents.
In addition to the conspiracy, the federal indictment charges various defendants in five counts of transporting illegal aliens, eight counts of unlawfully producing identification documents, nine counts of unlawfully transferring another person’s identification, eight counts of Social Security fraud and nine counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $5,250,000.
According to court documents, Martin and Julio Llanas-Rodriguez, Ordonez-Chanas, Bautista-Orozco, Hernandez-Flores, Lara-Rodriguez and Felipe-Lopez are unlawfully present in the United States. Martin Llanas-Rodriguez and Felipe-Lopez have both previously been deported.
Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations, the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department, the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Missouri Department of Revenue Investigation Bureau, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
Grand Jury Indictment http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/images/adobe.gif
USDOJ: US Attorney's Office - Western District of MO
Western Missouri residents among 14 indicted in USD 5 million conspiracy
Western Missouri residents among 14 indicted in USD 5 million conspiracy to provide thousands of identity documents to illegal aliens
mmdnewswire.com
MMD Newswire
January 12, 2012
Fourteen people have been indicted by a federal grand jury for participating in a $5 million conspiracy to provide more than 3,500 fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens across the United States. The indictment included six members of a St. Joseph, Mo., family and three Guatemalan nationals in Carthage, Mo. The scheme allegedly utilized the Missouri Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph. This indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips, Western District of Missouri.
"St. Joseph was the hub of a criminal conspiracy for thousands of illegal aliens who traveled to Missouri from across the country," Phillips said. "Conspirators operated a vast black market where identities were bought and sold. It's crucial for business and public safety that we maintain the integrity of government-issued IDs. Those who profited from this illegal scheme will be held accountable."
"The individuals involved in this conspiracy orchestrated an extensive identity fraud scheme on a grand scale," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations office in Chicago. "Identity and document fraud is a burgeoning problem in the United States that poses a direct threat to national security and public safety. These charges reflect ICE HSI's ongoing commitment to investigate this type of criminal activity and those who assume other people's identities to skirt the law."
"Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and investigators from the Missouri Department of Revenue were part of this state-federal-local investigation of conspirators who allegedly assisted illegal immigrants attempting to obtain identity documents fraudulently," Missouri Department of Public Safety Director Jerry Lee said. "Today, that law enforcement partnership resulted in arrests in Missouri and Texas. The success of this investigation would not have been possible without outstanding cooperation between state, federal and local law enforcement agencies. I commend the troopers from the Highway Patrol, investigators from the Department of Revenue and the local and federal officers that have taken part in this investigation."
The following people were charged in a 40-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 10: Deborah J. Flores, 46; her sister, Sherri E. Gutierrez, 45; and Flores' children, Stephen Eugene Vanvacter, 24; Sara M. Gonzalez, 20; Christina Michelle Gonzalez, 23; and Jessica Mercedes Gonzalez, 21; all of St. Joseph; Elder Enrique Ordonez-Chanas, aka "Flaco," 30; Nelson Dariseo Bautista-Orozco, 26; and Ranfe Adaias Hernandez-Flores, aka "Miguel," 22; all citizens of Guatemala residing in Carthage; Brenda De La Cruz, 32, of San Antonio, Texas; Martin Alejandro Llanas-Rodriguez, 29, and Julio Cesar Llanas-Rodrigues, both citizens of Mexico residing in San Antonio; Martin Lara-Rodriguez, 31, a citizen of Mexico residing in Chicago, Ill.; and Luis Adalberto Felipe-Lopez (identified in the indictment as "Joel LNU"), age unknown, a citizen of Guatemala residing in Mt. Olive, N. Carolina. The indictment was unsealed and made public on Jan. 11 upon the arrests and initial court appearances of several defendants.
The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants have participated in a conspiracy since November 2009 to transport illegal aliens, to unlawfully produce identification documents, to unlawfully transfer another person's identification and to commit Social Security fraud.
To obtain a Missouri driver's or non-driver's license, applicants are required to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, which may be shown by a certified birth certificate. Applicants must also provide proof of their Social Security number, and proof of a Missouri residential address. Conspirators allegedly provided illegal aliens with birth certificates and Social Security cards in the names of others and provided them with Missouri residential addresses.
The indictment alleges that illegal aliens traveled to St. Joseph from across the United States to obtain either a Missouri driver's license or non-driver's license by using the unlawfully obtained birth certificate and Social Security cards. The state licenses were then used by the illegal aliens to remain unlawfully in the United States, to unlawfully obtain employment, and for other unlawful purposes.
It is estimated that more than 3,500 licenses were issued to illegal aliens by the Department of Revenue license office in St. Joseph, according to the indictment. Illegal aliens each paid $1,500 to $1,600 to obtain documents and a license, the indictment says, totaling more than $5.25 million in gross proceeds paid by illegal aliens to members of the conspiracy.
According to the indictment, conspirators (including Carthage residents Ordonez-Chanas and Hernandez-Flores, as well as Lara-Rodriguez in Chicago and Felipe-Lopez in North Carolina) recruited illegal aliens as customers for fraudulent identification documents and then directed the illegal aliens to travel to St. Joseph to receive the documents. Sometimes conspirators provided transportation to St. Joseph, the indictment says. Felipe-Lopez allegedly transported illegal aliens back and forth between North Carolina and Missouri, and Hernandez-Flores allegedly transported illegal aliens back and forth between Carthage and St. Joseph.
San Antonio residents Martin and Julio Llanas-Rodriguez and De La Cruz allegedly purchased state-issued birth certificates and Social Security cards, usually from Texas residents who were willing to sell their identification documents. They allegedly mailed these documents to either Ordonez-Chanas in Carthage or to the St. Joseph defendants, the indictment says. The documents were then given to the illegal aliens when they arrived in St. Joseph, and the St. Joseph defendants collected payment from the illegal aliens.
The St. Joseph defendants allegedly accompanied illegal aliens into the local license office under the guise of being translators to assist them with obtaining a state license that was in the name of another person. The St. Joseph defendants instructed and assisted the illegal aliens to practice memorizing the information on the birth certificates and Social Security cards, the indictment says, and to practice signing the name so that the signatures would be similar. They also helped the illegal aliens prepare for potential questions from the license office employees, according to the indictment.
Flores and Vanvacter are the owners of A to Z Auto Credit LLC, a used car dealership in St. Joseph. According to the indictment, they used the business bank account to transfer funds among conspirators and as a mailing address to receive some of the mailed documents.
In addition to the conspiracy, the federal indictment charges various defendants in five counts of transporting illegal aliens, eight counts of unlawfully producing identification documents, nine counts of unlawfully transferring another person's identification, eight counts of Social Security fraud, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government any property obtained from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $5.25 million.
According to court documents, Martin and Julio Llanas-Rodriguez, Ordonez-Chanas, Bautista-Orozco, Hernandez-Flores, Lara-Rodriguez and Felipe-Lopez are unlawfully present in the United States. Martin Llanas-Rodriguez and Felipe-Lopez have both previously been deported.
Phillips cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jess E. Michaelsen.
It was investigated by the following agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations; the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff's Department; the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department; the Platte County, Mo., Sheriff's Department; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Missouri Department of Revenue Investigation Bureau; the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Western Missouri residents among 14 indicted in USD 5 million conspiracy to provide thousands of identity documents to illegal aliens
