Son’s call to police leads to dad’s arrest on felony ID theft charges
The investigation of a Morton Grove man charged with 22 counts of felony identity theft started when his son reported that his father had threatened to shoot him, authorities said Tuesday.
Officers were looking for weapons last week when they searched the home of Mohammad Afzal Sodagar in the 8600 block of Frontage Drive.
What they found instead were hundreds of credit cards, 11 Illinois identification cards with Sodagar’s photos—but bearing other names—on them, at least 36 Social Security cards, gold coins and bars and more than $60,000 in cash, said a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.
Bail for Sodagar, 51, was set at $3 million during a hearing Monday in the Skokie branch of Circuit Court. He was charged Saturday.
In his dealings with Chicago’s Muslim community, Sodagar, whom family members say uses his middle name, has portrayed himself as the chief executive of a television production company. But in arguing for the high bail, prosecutors said he apparently has no job.
“This man has been operating his own criminal enterprise for probably 30 years,” said Morton Grove Police Cmdr. Brian Bolger.
“We have located 22 victims.......
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-idtheft_webdec05,0,5286716.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout
ICE sees surge in arrests of fugitive immigrants
Federal authorities announced Tuesday that they arrested about twice as many immigrants who ignored deportation orders during fiscal year 2007 as they did the previous year.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 1,043 fugitive immigrants in the six Midwestern states overseen by operations in Chicago, up from 520 in fiscal year 2006, agency spokeswoman Gail Montenegro said.
Nationwide, ICE arrested more than 30,408 fugitive immigrants during fiscal year 2007, which ended Sept. 30, compared with 15,462 in fiscal year 2006.[snip]
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-deport_05dec05,1,2535234.story?ctrack=2&cset=true
Wowser — a one man show of sorts.
Updates appreciated.
Thanks for your post #171. Interesting information and links about Mohammad Afzal Sodagar at the homelandsecurityus website.