LEXINGTON, KY - An illegal alien, who was previously arrested for assault, admitted in Federal Court that he possessed a fraudulent U.S. resident card.

Angel Alcides Zamora-Gonzalez, 37, pleaded guilty yesterday to possession of a forged, counterfeit, and falsely made alien registration receipt card.

Zamora-Gonzalez, 37, was arrested in Bath County on a state charge of 4th degree assault, domestic violence with minor injury in January of this year. According to the plea agreement, when authorities booked him into the Montgomery County Detention Center they discovered Zamora-Gonzalez possessed a fraudulent alien registration card.

An alien registration card (green card) grants aliens permission to reside and work in the United States. Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) determined Zamora-Gonzalez intentionally used someone else’s registration card and had not legally obtained his own card.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago jointly announced the plea.

The investigation was conducted by ICE ERO within the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bath County Sheriff’s Office. David Marye represented the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this case.

A sentencing date for Zamora-Gonzalez has yet to be determined. He faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. However, the court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the statute governing the imposition of sentences before imposing a sentence.