United States Attorney Jenny A. Durkan
Western District of Washington
MEXICAN NATIONAL SENTENCED TO 15 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR MANUFACTURING FAKE IDENTITY DOCUMENTS
Defendant Made and Sold Fake Drivers Licenses and Social Security Cards
RODOLFO E. LEDESMA-FLORES, 33, of Tukwila, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 15 months in prison for Making and Possessing Fraudulent Immigration Documents. LEDESMA-FLORES was arrested in October 2010, following an undercover investigation. On multiple occasions LEDESMA-FLORES sold fake identity documents to a person working with law enforcement. When officers searched LEDESMA-FLORES’ residence, they found more than 50 fraudulent documents completed – including drivers licenses, social security cards and “green cards” authorizing the recipient to be employed. They also found hundreds of blank documents and templates for the ongoing criminal scheme. U.S. District Court Judge James L. Robart imposed the sentence noting that LEDESMA-FLORES would be deported following his prison term.
In asking for a prison sentence, prosecutors outlined the damage done by the fake documents. “No one will ever know how many fraudulent documents Defendant made over the course of his criminal activity.... If any of Defendant’s “customers” presented their newly-acquired fraudulent documents to employers, and if any of those employers are ever audited by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and found to have employed illegal aliens, those employers could face either criminal prosecution or administrative sanctions (i.e., monetary fines). If any of Defendant’s “customers” used their newly-acquired fraudulent documents to unlawfully obtain employment, those “customers” displaced a lawfully authorized worker from obtaining a job. In short, there is no way to calculate the full impact of the Defendant’s criminal activity on the community,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and by the Seattle Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Marci Ellsworth. Ms. Ellsworth is an attorney with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, specially designated to prosecute immigration related cases in federal court.
