16 FROM CANYON COUNTY FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES

16 employees arrested on December 4 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at Idaho Truss in Nampa now face federal charges.

A grand jury in Boise indicted 16 men this week on a variety of charges including possession of counterfeit alien registration receipt cards, misuse of Social Security numbers, and illegal entry or re-entry after deportation, both criminal immigration violations.

Those charged are Rafael Castillo-Tellez, 28; Miguel Zamora-Urena, 40; Juan Manuel Diaz-Juarez, 36; Antonio M. Garcia-Gomez, 32; Hilario Leyva-Guzman, 31; Juan Sergio Juarez- Contreas, 25; Juan Vidal Lopez-Zaragosa, 36; Juan Martinez-Gonzalez, 39; Juan Manuel Miramontes-Garcia, 25; Rafael Quezada Bejar, 30; Humberto Quinteros, 24; Hubaldo Gorgonio Rojas, 22; Rodrigo Salinas-Cervantes, 33; Gregorio Villareal Ruiz, 36; Julio Vargas-Ortiz, 27; and Santos Lopez-Serratos, 36.

Castillo-Tellez, Garcia-Gomez, Leyva-Guzman, Juarez-Contreas, Lopez-Zaragosa, Miramontes-Garcia, Bejar, Quinteros, Rojas, Salinas-Cervantes, Vargas-Ortiz, and Lopez- Serratos immediately pled guilty to illegal reentry, a misdemeanor immigration violation, were sentenced to time served and returned to the custody of ICE to be deported. Trial is scheduled in Boise on February 10, 2009, for Zamora-Urena, Diaz-Juarez, and Ruiz.

“Identifying and documenting the use of fraudulent social security numbers is a key piece of any worksite enforcement investigation,” said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of ICE’s office of investigations that oversees Idaho. “In this case, ICE had previously notified the employer that some of its workers had provided counterfeit social security numbers to gain employment at Idaho Truss.”

The defendants scheduled for trial face sentences of up to 15 years for possession of counterfeit alien registration receipt cards, five years for misuse of Social Security numbers, and up to 20 years for illegal entry or re-entry after deportation. Any sentence imposed will take into consideration the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines, the nature of the offense and the defendant’s criminal background, if any.

The case was investigated by ICE’s Boise Office.

For those defendants who have not admitted guilt, an indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.