Tag Archives: Green Card

Chicago Woman Arrested for Selling Fraudulent Identity Documents to Illegal Aliens

February 22, 2013blogarrest, benefits fraud, criminal alien, deportation, detention, Green Card, HSI, ICE, identity fraud, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, Permanent Resident Card, removal, USCISAlex Meyerovich

A woman was arrested Wednesday, February 13, 2013, on charges she allegedly sold fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens. These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Allison Mendez, 32, of Melrose Park,Ill., was arrested Feb. 13 and charged in a criminal complaint with selling false identification documents.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, between May 2012 and Jan. 2013 Mendez allegedly sold nine sets of false identification documents on six occasions. A set included a counterfeit U.S. permanent resident card (green card) and a counterfeit social security card.

During the course of the investigation, cooperating witnesses posing as customers allegedly placed orders for false documents with Mendez by sending her a text message with the photograph and the biographical information they wanted to appear on the documents. Mendez then delivered the completed documents to customers, charging between $80 and $110 for a set of counterfeit cards, according to the complaint.

The complaint also alleges that during a recorded conversation with a cooperating witness, Mendez stated she had been in the counterfeit document business for about 15 years and that her software program could make social security cards, insurance cards, green cards and drivers’ licenses.

HSI was assisted in this investigation by the Chicago Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, with additional support provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and the Addison Police Department.

If convicted, Mendez faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. As an illegal alien from Nicaragua, Mendez will be placed into deportation proceedings upon conclusion of her criminal case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Young, Northern District of Illinois, is prosecuting the case.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Florida Resident Arrested for Immigration and Citizenship Fraud

February 4, 2013blogcitizenship, citizenship fraud, deportation, detention, Green Card, Haiti, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, immigration fraud, Naturalization, Permanent Resident, removalAlex Meyerovich

A federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday, January 30, 2013, charging a Tampa man with making false statements in connection with his naturalization application. The indictment is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to the indictment, Georges Jean-Philippe, 48, aka Benedique Jean-Philippe, made false statements on his naturalization application to become a U.S. citizen. During his application for citizenship, Jean-Philippe, a citizen of Haiti, withheld information that he had previously been ordered deported from the United States under a different name. As a result, in 2008, he illegally obtained U.S. citizenship under a name different from the one he used in his initial dealings with U.S. immigration authorities.

HSI special agents arrested Jean-Philippe at his home Wednesday, January 30, 2013. A federal judge ordered him detained and held without bond.

New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Producing Green Cards and Government Documents

February 1, 2013blogbenefit fraud, document fraud, false government identification cards, fraudulent Green Card, Green Card, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, Social Security Card, Social Security fraud, USCISAlex Meyerovich

An Ocean Township, N.J., man pleaded guilty Monday, January 14, 2013, to the manufacture and sale of fraudulent government documents. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison. The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean Township Police Department.

Lucio Medina-Sanchez, 37, of Ocean Township, pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing false government identification and two counts of selling false government identification.

According to court documents, HSI special agents and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at Medina-Sanchez’s residence Feb. 2, 2012. The search resulted in the seizure of computers, laminates and other material used to create the false documents.

The investigation revealed Medina-Sanchez was manufacturing false government identification cards including Social Security cards and U.S. permanent resident cards – commonly known as green cards – inside his township apartment.

Medina-Sanchez required his customers to provide him with a passport-sized photo and a name and birth date of their choosing. The payment was determined by the type of document he manufactured.

Sentencing is scheduled in March 2013.

California Brothers Indicted for Producing Fraudulent Immigration Documents

August 13, 2012blogcitizenship fraud, employment fraud, Green Card, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, Social Security CardAlex Meyerovich

Two Shasta County brothers were indicted Thursday, August 9, 2012, by a federal grand jury on charges of producing and selling false identification and immigration documents following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Sergio Alonso Madrigal-Felix, 32, of Redding, Calif., and Mario Alfonso Madrigal-Felix, 36, of Anderson, Calif., are also accused of possessing document making equipment and materials. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Hales and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele M. Beckwith.

According to court documents, the brothers sold counterfeit document sets for $150 each that included an alien registration card or “green card” and a Social Security card with a false number. An undercover HSI special agent purchased three sets on March 22 for three fictitious people. Four more sets were purchased from the defendants on two other occasions. A search warrant was issued and agents seized document-making equipment, including a laptop, printer and laminator.

“Targeting schemes like this that enable individuals who aren’t in this country lawfully to obtain legitimate identity documents is a top enforcement priority for ICE HSI,” said Jason Graham, resident agent in charge for HSI Redding. “Those who engage in this type of fraud are putting the security of our communities and even our country at risk. Schemes like this could potentially be exploited by dangerous criminals and others seeking to obscure their identities and mask their motives.”

The defendants have been in custody since their arrest and initial court appearance July 27. They are scheduled to be arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edmund F. Brennan Aug. 10. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

Man Facing Up to 30 Years in Jail for Fake Green Card

October 26, 2011blogAttorney, Attorney General, Connecticut, CT, Green Card, HSI, ICE, illegal, Lawyer, Permanent Resident, Permanent Resident Card, Peru, Re-entryAlex Meyerovich

A federal grand jury in Bridgeport returned an indictment yesterday charging a Connecticut man with one count of re-entry in a case investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Roberto A. Mori-Perez, 55, a citizen of Peru who recently resided in New Haven, is also charged with one count of possession of a fraudulent permanent resident card in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport.

The indictment alleges that Mori-Perez, who was previously deported from the U.S. to his native Peru, illegally re-entered the U.S. According to legal records, he did not obtain the consent of the U.S. attorney general or his successor, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to reapply for admission into the U.S.

The indictment also alleges that on Aug.17, 2011, Mori-Perez possessed a fraudulent permanent resident card. According to previously filed court documents, he was deported from the U.S. to Peru on Aug. 29, 1989, after he was convicted of the criminal sale of a controlled substance, which is an aggravated felony.

If convicted, Mori-Perez faces a maximum 20-year prison term for illegally re-entering the U.S. and a maximum 10-year prison term for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card.

Mori-Perez has been detained since his arrest on August 17, 2011.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt, that charges are only allegations, and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation of this case included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) National Fugitive Operations Program. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj Patel.