NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BRADLEY J. SCHLOZMAN

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

FEBRUARY 28, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THREE MEXICAN NATIONALS SENTENCED FOR

FALSE IDENTITY DOCUMENTS

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Bradley J. Schlozman, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that three Mexican nationals were sentenced in federal court today for participating in a conspiracy to sell forged identification documents.

Eduardo Rodriguez-Ortega, 24, Javier Corcobado-Lopez, 24, and Jesus Perez-Juarez, 24, all citizens of Mexico residing in Springfield, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith this morning. Rodriguez-Ortega was sentenced to one year and three months in federal prison without parole. Corcobado-Lopez was sentenced to one year and one month in federal prison without parole. Perez-Juarez was sentenced to time served (approximately eight months).

All three co-defendants pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to sell forged Permanent Resident Cards and forged Social Security Cards in Springfield during May and June 2006.

Corcobado-Lopez and Perez-Juarez were arrested on June 28, 2006, when they drove to the Battlefield Mall in Springfield in order to take a picture of a customer that would be used to create the counterfeit documents.

Rodriguez-Ortega also pleaded guilty to two additional counts. He admitted that he sold a counterfeit Permanent Resident Card and a counterfeit Social Security card to an informant who was cooperating with a law enforcement investigation on May 31, 2006. Rodriguez-Ortega also admitted that he sold another counterfeit Permanent Resident Card and another counterfeit Social Security card to an informant who was cooperating with a law enforcement investigation on June 22, 2006.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas C. Bunch. It was investigated by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department and COMET (the Combined Ozark Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team).

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