Fraud Rings Manufactured U.S. Permanent Resident Cards, Social Security Cards, Mexican Consular Identification cards, and Driver’s Licenses.
More than 300 law enforcement officers from federal and local agencies executed dozens of arrest and search warrants in connection with multiple fraudulent document rings operating in Los Angeles and several other cities.
According to the FBI, the document fraud rings supported a variety of criminal activities including credit and bank fraud, tax fraud, identity theft, and pharmaceutical diversion schemes.
In two separate but related operations, federal grand juries returned a series of indictments charging several individuals with one or more of the following violations:
• Possession of Document-Making Implements
• Trafficking in False Authentication Features
• Using a Fictitious Name or Address
• Fraud & Misuse of Visas, Permits, & Other Documents
• Conspiracy
• Illegal Alien Found in the U.S. Following Deportation
According to the indictments, investigators identified several false document manufacturing networks in 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 false documents generated by the rings included United States Permanent Resident cards, Social Security cards, Mexican Consular Identification cards, and driver’s licenses. The indictment alleges that Serrano and other co-conspirators support the manufacture of false driver’s licenses for approximately 40 of the 50 states and within Mexico.
Serrano and his co-conspirators allegedly supply other manufacturers of false documents with hundreds of document-making implements, including sheets of plastic laminates bearing false authentication features. These features replicate legitimate ones used by the United States and Mexican governments to limit fraud. The indictment alleges that Serrano has been intercepted on a wiretap discussing the fact that he has been engaged in the false document business for more than a decade.
Evidence developed during the investigation revealed that the fraudulent documents were utilized by illegal aliens to gain employment, as well as other citizenship and residency related benefits.
Seven individuals charged in the indictments are considered fugitives and have not been identified, and are actively being sought by authorities.
Seventeen federal search warrants are being executed as part of the operation to seek evidence related to the manufacture of false documents. Several of those arrested are not legal residents of the United States and have been previously deported and may face additional immigration related charges.
If convicted, the defendants face statutory maximum sentences ranging from 15 years on the fraudulent document charges.
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