United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner
Eastern District of California
Two Document Fraud Operations Dismantled In Madera And Fresno Counties
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Lauren Horwood |
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July 21, 2011 |
PHONE: (916) 554-2706 |
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www.usdoj.gov/usao/cae |
usacae.edcapress@usdoj.gov |
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Docket #: 1:11-cr-00242-LJO; 1:11-cr-00241-AWI
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FRESNO, Calif. — United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a federal grand jury returned two separate indictments today charging three people with possession, transfer, production, and sale of fraudulent immigration and identification documents. Daniel Vasquez-Miranda, 27, and Zoila Vazquez-Vazquez, 21, both of Mexico, were charged in one case, and Eliodoro Guzman Arreguin, 25, of Caruthers, was charged in another case. Vasquez-Miranda and Vazquez-Vazquez are also charged with conspiracy to produce and transfer false identification documents. The defendants will be arraigned by U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary S. Austin on July 29, 2011, at 1:30 p.m.
According to court documents, between May and July 2011, the defendants met customers in public locations in Fresno and Madera Counties, took pictures and got biographical information. They would manufacture the requested fake documents at another location. They would then return to the customer with the completed false identification documents to complete the sale.
These cases are the product of an extensive investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian Garriques is prosecuting the cases.
“Anyone who knowingly and indiscriminately sells phony identity cards is putting the security of our communities and even our country at risk,” said Paul Leonardi, resident agent in charge of ICE HSI in Fresno. “Counterfeit documents can potentially be used by dangerous criminals and others who are attempting to obscure their identities and cover their tracks.”
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.####
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