UT - Man charged in connection with forged documents

Therresa Worthington 9:36 p.m. MST January 28, 2015

ST. GEORGE – Police arrested Ricardo Guadalupe Vigil Tuesday after a tip from Department Homeland Security agents.

According to probable cause statements, Vigil allegedly used fake Social Security cards and Permanent Resident cards, commonly known as green cards to obtain employment and a car loan.

Officers followed up, going to his place of employment and checking Vigil’s records, according to the statements.

They found Vigil had allegedly presented forged cards to get the job.

“Ricardo is currently incarcerated in Purgatory Correctional Facility,” so officers were able to arrest him on the new charges of two counts forgery/possession of a device and three counts identity fraud, the statement read.

Vigil also faces four other counts of forgery/possession of a device in a separate investigation, court documents indicated.

Agents with Immigrations Customs Enforcement reported in a probable cause statement that Vigil had given them Social Security and green cards in December during an investigation.

“Both Social Security Cards had the same number. ... The Permanent Resident cards had the same Alien number,” reported the investigating agent.

Agents verified the numbers also didn’t belong to Vigil, according to the statement.

The Social Security card numbers and green card information Vigil used, however, do belong to actual people, said Sgt. Johnny Hepler of the fraudulent identity and security threat task force.

“They are real victims who have been damaged by him using their information,” he said. “Identity theft is a terrible thing to have happen to you.”

Hepler said Vigil has been put on an immigration hold.

Vigil was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on $45,000 bail.

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/new...ents/22507861/