Oct.18 , 2006

 

INDICTMENT CHARGES MEXICAN NATIONALS PRODUCED, SOLD

FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS TO ILLEGAL ALIENS

WICHITA, KAN. – Five Mexican nationals are charged in a federal indictment in connection with an undercover investigation into the production and sale of fraudulent identification documents to illegal aliens in western Kansas.

Florentino “Tino” Vazquez, 42; Fernando Vazquez, 22; Javier Vazquez, 25; Virginia Sanchez, 28; and Bertha Vazquez, 42, are charged in an indictment that includes 6 counts of document fraud, 4 counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of unlawful possession of five or more identification documents, and two counts of harboring illegal aliens.

“This case began with an investigation targeting suspected document vendors in Dodge City,” said U.S, Attorney Eric Melgren. “Investigators from the Social Security Administration, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Garden City Police Department discovered that for $700 they could easily and quickly obtain a fraudulent Social Security card and a birth certificate.”

WARRANTS ISSUED, PHOTOS ATTACHED

Federal arrest warrants have been issued (see photos attached) for Florentino “Tino” Vazquez and Fernando Vazquez. Anyone with information on their whereabouts should call the KBI at 1-800-KSCRIME. The other defendants are in custody.

A criminal complaint and affidavit filed earlier in the case describes a joint operation involving federal, state and local agencies that began with an investigation targeting suspected document vendors in the Dodge City area. According to the affidavit, on Aug. 16, 2006, investigators paid $700 for a Social Security card and birth certificate that was delivered to them in Garden City, Kan.

In the indictment:

– Florentino Vazquez is charged with 6 counts of document fraud, 5 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawfully possessing 5 or more identification documents.
– Fernando Vazquez is charged with 4 counts of document fraud, 3 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawfully possessing 5 or more identification documents.
– Javier Vazquez is charged with 4 counts of document fraud, 3 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawfully possessing 5 or more identification documents.
– V. Sanchez is charged with 4 counts of document fraud, 3 counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawful possessing 5 or more identification documents.
– Bertha Vazquez is charged with 4 counts of document fraud, 3 counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of unlawful possessing 5 or more identification documents, and 2 counts of harboring illegal aliens.
One count of the indictment charges the defendants with unlawfully possessing Social Security card stock with imprints that are an authentication feature.

In two counts, Bertha Vazquez is charged with harboring her sons, Fernando Vazquez and Jair Vazquez, who had entered the United States unlawfully.

Upon conviction, the charges carry the following penalties:
– Document fraud: A maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
– Aggravated identity: A mandatory 2 years in federal prison sentence to be conserved consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000.
– Unlawful possession of 5 or more identification documents: A maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000.
– Harboring illegal aliens: A maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

COOPERATING AGENCIES

Agencies involved in the investigation include:

– Kansas Bureau of Investigation
– Immigration and Customs Enforcement
– Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General
– Dodge City Police Department
– Garden City Police Department
– Ford County Sheriff’s Office.
– Finney County Attorney’s Office.
– Ulysses Police Department
– Ford County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

In a related case, Jair Vazquez-Guerrero, 21, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after having been deported, one count of using fraudulent documents to be employed in the United States, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawful possession of a United States identification document. He was found Oct. 4, 2006, in Dodge City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing fraudulent documents to be employed; up to 2 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the re-entry charge; a mandatory 2 years in prison to run consecutively to other sentences and a fine up to $250,000; and a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawfully possessing a United States identification document. The KBI, the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

In any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

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