LOS ANGELES — Two San Fernando Valley males had been arraigned as we speak on a federal grand jury indictment alleging they had been a part of a prolific doc trafficking ring that created and bought counterfeit U.S. passport playing cards, Social Safety playing cards, driver’s licenses and different paperwork, the results of a probe by Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Carlos Ayala Hernandez, a.okay.a. “Juan Juarez,” 44, of Granada Hills, the 19-count indictment’s lead defendant; and Nestor Perez, a.okay.a. “Daniel Perez,” 32, of Van Nuys, every pleaded not responsible to 1 conspiracy depend, 9 counts of manufacturing of false identification paperwork, seven counts of transferring false identification paperwork and one depend of possession of 5 or extra false identification paperwork. Hernandez additionally pleaded not responsible to 1 depend of being an unlawful alien in possession of a firearm.
On February 19, a 3rd defendant named within the indictment – Miguel Juarez Guerrero, 23, of Van Nuys – pleaded not responsible to 18 fees associated to the pretend doc mill.
In keeping with the indictment filed on Feb. 9, from Jan. 2016 to Jan. 2021, Hernandez, Guerrero and Perez conspired to provide false identification paperwork that appeared to have been issued by the U.S. authorities, and driver’s licenses purporting to be from a number of states, together with California, Wyoming and Pennsylvania.
Hernandez and Guerrero allegedly acquired orders, some by textual content message, from clients in search of particular false identification paperwork. Hernandez and Guerrero then notified Perez, who manufactured and saved the pretend IDs at a Van Nuys house used solely to provide the counterfeit paperwork. After the pretend IDs had been prepared, Hernandez and Guerrero allegedly notified clients and organized for pickup occasions and locations, often within the parking plenty of eating places or pharmacies – in trade for money.
On Jan. 7, 2021, HSI particular brokers executed a search warrant on the Van Nuys residence. They discovered the defendants possessed 21 U.S. passport playing cards; 68 Social Safety playing cards; 5 Lawful Everlasting Resident playing cards (generally referred to as “inexperienced playing cards”); two Employment Authorization Doc playing cards;135 driver’s licenses;11 overseas identification paperwork for Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Peru; and, roughly 1,000 fraudulent authentication seals, in keeping with the indictment. On the identical date, Hernandez allegedly possessed $40,000 in money at his residence.
The three defendants on this case had been arrested pursuant to a legal criticism on January 27.
An April 6 jury trial date has been scheduled. The costs associated to the counterfeit paperwork every carry a statutory most sentence of 15 years in federal jail. If convicted of all fees within the doc, the defendants would face potential sentences of many years in jail.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Lawyer for the Central District of California’s Common Crimes Part.
Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Division of Homeland Safety, accountable for investigating transnational crime and threats, particularly these legal organizations that exploit the worldwide infrastructure by way of which worldwide commerce, journey, and finance transfer. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 staff consists of greater than 7,100 Particular Brokers assigned to 220 cities all through america, and 80 abroad areas in 53 international locations. HSI’s worldwide presence represents DHS’s largest investigative legislation enforcement presence overseas and one of many largest worldwide footprints in U.S. legislation enforcement.
