Massive fraudulent document manufacturing rings raided in Los Angeles
The false documents generated by the rings included United States Permanent Resident cards (green cards), Social Security cards, Mexican Consular Identification cards and driver's licenses.
Over two dozens of offenders, including ringleaders and co-conspirators who supplied document-making materials to others across United States have been arrested, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced.
More than 300 law enforcement officers from federal and local agencies executed dozens of arrest and search warrants Thursday morning relative to a multiple fraudulent document rings operating in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties, Northern California, Illinois and Texas, with connections to other states and Mexico.
The document fraud rings supported a variety of criminal activity, announced Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles, and Andre Birotte Jr., the United States Attorney in Los Angeles.
The announcement was made on behalf of multiple departments whose investigators worked on the case, including the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as agencies in Illinois, Texas and elsewhere in California.
In two separate, but related operations, federal grand juries returned a series of indictments filed under seal charging several individuals with violations including possession of document-making implements, trafficking in false authentication features, using a fictitious name or address, fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents, conspiracy and illegal alien found in the United States following deportation.
According to the indictments filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and unsealed Thursday, investigators have identified several false document manufacturing networks in the MacArthur Park section of Los Angeles and elsewhere.
One of the main targets of the investigation is Alejandro Morales Serrano, who allegedly manufactures raw materials that are then used to manufacture false documents on a large scale from California and other states, including Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, and Michigan.
The indictment alleges the Serrano and other co-conspirators support the manufacture of false driver's licenses for approximately 40 of the 50 states and within Mexico.
