United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

PAIR SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON
FOR RUNNING FRAUDULENT DOCUMENT MILL

DALLAS - Helga Estrada-Rodriguez and Marcrino Reyes-Flores, both of Dallas, were each sentenced to 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Estrada-Rodriguez, 34, and Reyes-Flores, 33, each pled guilty in December 2006 to one count of conspiracy to produce and transfer false identification documents. Estrada-Rodriguez is originally from Honduras and Reyes-Flores is from Mexico. They are both in the United States illegally and will be subject to removal (deportation) for this offense.

According to documents filed in court, beginning in September 2006, Estrada-Rodriguez, Reyes-Flores and others conspired to produce and transfer false identification documents, including social security cards, alien registration receipt cards, driver’s licenses, and other false identification documents. Estrada-Rodriguez and Reyes-Flores would negotiate with purchasers and agree on a price for the production and transfer of the fake documents at various locations throughout Dallas. Once an agreement was reached regarding price and type of document, Estrada-Rodriguez and Reyes-Flores would make the fake identification documents at their residence and then transfer them to the document purchasers.

“The members of our Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force worked together to close down this fraudulent document lab, and to prosecute the individuals responsible,” said John Chakwin, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Investigations in Dallas. “Since there are so many types of document fraud, this Task Force is an invaluable law enforcement tool.” Chakwin heads an area which includes north Texas and the state of Oklahoma.

On three separate occasions in September 2006, Estrada-Rodriguez met with an undercover ICE agent in Dallas and agreed to produce and deliver the false identification documents ordered by the undercover agent.

Both defendants have been in custody since their arrest in late September 2006, when ICE agents executed a search warrant at their residence in an apartment complex on Bahama Drive in Dallas. During the search, agents found blank false Social Security Cards, blank false alien registration receipt cards, completed false alien registration receipt cards, completed false social security cards, completed false Texas driver’s licenses, Texas driver’s license security laminate, immigration security laminate, a laminator, paper cutter, color printer, desktop computer, two laptop computers, typewriter, digital camera, Polaroid camera, and $5472 in cash from the sale of these fake documents.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the ICE’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Carlos Rodriguez.

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