Posted on 05/12/2002 1:24:09 AM PDT by TomGuy
May 9, 2002
INS Agents Arrest Individuals For Manufacture and Sale Of Counterfeit Identification Documents
Arlington, VA………Immigration agents arrested 24 persons and seized counterfeit documents and counterfeiting equipment yesterday in an operation designed to disrupt the continuing false document open-air markets in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
The operation, called “Card Shark”, was conducted by the Washington District Office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), in coordination with the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and law enforcement from the Metropolitan Police Department, (MPD), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office and the INS Baltimore District Office.
"This is an ongoing investigation and more arrests are expected", said Warren A. Lewis District Director for the Washington District Office of the INS. "We are aggressively working to locate, arrest and prosecute anyone who violates our laws relating to the possession, manufacture, or sale of counterfeit immigration documents."
“Immigration enforcement is a major component in the ongoing effort to tighten our borders and increase homeland security,” said Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “We are pleased to support the INS in its effort to ensure that persons are issued valid identification documents. In that regard, we will aggressively prosecute those who manufacture, distribute and possess illegal ones”.
The men were arrested yesterday following the execution of four search warrants at 2801 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. Subsequent to the search, INS agents also seized 360 fake alien registration cards (“green cards”), 281 fraudulent social security cards, 70 bogus employment authorization cards, 46 counterfeit drivers licenses from California, Utah and Florida, and other equipment believed used in the production of the fraudulent documents.
Seven of the arrested individuals are being arraigned on felony charges. Of the seven, four are related to the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit documents, and three are being charged criminally with felony re-entry after deportation. The remaining 17 arrests were for administrative immigration charges
A conviction for fraudulent immigration documents, (18 USC 1546), is punishable by up to ten years in prison or $250,000 fine, or both.
-INS-
Last Modified 05/09/2002
Copyright © 1999-2002 American Immigration LLC, ILW.COM
That's for sure. Notice how there was no mention of the nationality of those arrested. This area is well known for hispanic illegal aliens who openly sell counterfeit documents. The INS, FBI and local police were well aware of this before 9-11. But, they chose to ignore this criminal activity so as not to offend Vincente Fox or even worse the Mexican Embassy in Washington. I'm suprised I haven't seen a statement released by the Mexican Embassy denouncing the inhumane treatment of poor migrants working hard on the streets of DC trying to provide for their families.
I guess the INS, FBI just became aware of the fact that it was an illegal alien in the Washington DC metro area that had been deported once from this country helped the Islamic terrorist obtain fraudulent drivers licenses to board those planes on 9-11.
Anybody holding their breath yet?
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This sounds good but nothing will ever come of it since it involves immigration. Especially if the 24 people arrested are Hispanic.
An arrest level of 10 to 100 times that many would be necessary to put a noticeable dent in the Adams-Morgan "market". I've seen it, first hand...
the infowarrior
I'm tired. I'm going to bed!!
The activity in Adams-Morgan has been reported several times over the last couple years to my recollection. It looks like the feds finally got their act together.
You're right though. According to what I've heard and read previously, the selling was by and for illegal Mexicans/Central Americans, and it was brazen, right out there on the streetcorners of Columbia Road.
The other brand of DC Metro document fraud has been in Falls Church, home to yet another huge illegal Mexican/Central American population. That's where the the 9/11 terrorist went to get their phoney Virginia IDs.
The address used on the phoney IDs cards of Hani Hanjour, Khalid al- Midhar, Majed Moqed and Salem Alhamzi (the four who hijacked the plane that hit the Pentagon) is less than one mile down Leesburg Pike from Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church.
At least two of the attackers made some sort of contact at that mosque. So in addition to a material witness being held by the feds (an Arab who purportedly met Hanjour and another guy at that mosque), an illegal Guatemalan and several others are being prosecuted for assisting in the fraudulent IDs used by the terrorists.
This clearly illustrates that the both the illegal alien and Muslim undergrounds are cooperative vehicles for terrorism.
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