A 42-year-old Des Moines man was sentenced to 15 months in prison last week for possessing and selling fraudulent alien registration receipt cards, also known as green cards.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Zilly sentenced Jose Alejandro Perez-Gonzalez to 15 months in prison, according to an Oct. 12 U.S. Attorney’s Office media release. Perez-Gonzalez was in the U.S. illegally and will be deported following his prison term.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, arrested Perez-Gonzalez May 4 following an undercover investigation. During February and March, he sold 17 forged green cards to investigators. A search of his apartment turned up 20 blank documents waiting to be completed.
In their sentencing memo, prosecutors highlighted the importance of prosecuting those who manufacture fake documents.
“The defendant is one of an untold number of individuals selling tens of millions of fraudulent immigration documents nationwide to the estimated 20 to 30 million illegal aliens in the United States today,” prosecutors wrote. “These aliens take jobs opportunities from Americans by presenting fraudulent green dards to employers to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form.”
At the time of the arrest, four people arrived at the apartment building of Perez-Gonzalez to pick up forged documents. Investigators determined all four were in the U.S. illegally.
Carmelo Angel-Hernandez, 46, one of the customers, had been deported following a conviction for a gang rape in 1987 in Florida. He has additional arrests and convictions for drug trafficking (California 1991 and 1992), DUI (New York 2007) and promoting prostitution (New York 2009).
U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez sentenced Angel-Hernandez last week to a year in prison. He will be deported following his prison term.
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