NOTE: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0809/080912atlanta.htm
September 12, 2008
Head of identity theft ring pleads guilty to manufacture and sale of fraudulent identification documents
ATLANTA - A 36-year-old Atlanta, Georgia man pleaded guilty today in federal district court to conspiracy to manufacture and sell fraudulent government identification documents, including social security cards, permanent resident cards, and driver’s licenses, and to identification document fraud and aggravated identity theft following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led investigation. Seven other defendants previously pleaded guilty to related charges.
Francisco Santillan Arellano, also known as “El Padrino” (”The Godfather”), was the head of a fraudulent document manufacturing and sales ring that distributed social security cards, permanent resident or so-called “green” cards, and driver’s licenses to illegal alien customers. Arellano admitted to law enforcement authorities that he employed at least 17 people in this business in the Atlanta area. He stated he had operated the fraudulent document business for at least two or three years prior to his arrest on March 25, 2008. The ring operated at least two document labs at apartments in the Forest Park and Lindbergh-Buford Highway areas. Arellano admitted that the ring sold about 90 sets of fraudulent documents per week.
United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “These defendants solicited and sold Government identification documents to illegal alien customers. In many cases, the fraudulent documents contained the Social Security numbers and Alien Registration numbers of real U.S. citizens and legal immigrants to whom they had been lawfully issued. In using these numbers, these defendants acted with callous disregard for the rights of law abiding citizens and residents of this country. Identity theft is destructive and damages the credit, lives, and peace of mind of its victims. We will continue to pursue and prosecute those responsible for it.”
Kenneth Smith, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Investigations in Atlanta said, “Document and benefit fraud poses a significant vulnerability that must not go unchallenged. Today’s guilty plea should send the clear message that ICE and its law enforcement partners will identify and dismantle those criminal organizations that threaten national security and public safety and hold those individuals accountable for their actions.”
Arellano and the other defendants were arrested following undercover fraudulent document purchases by confidential informants and an undercover law enforcement officer. Searches conducted simultaneously with and subsequent to the arrests of the eight defendants resulted in the collection by law enforcement agents of over 70 sets of fraudulent identification documents, many of which bore social security numbers or alien registration numbers that had been issued to real persons.
Arellano was indicted in April 2008. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of identification document fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. He could receive a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a fine of up to $750,000, and is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of at least two years in federal prison. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States sentencing guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.
Seven other defendants in this case have already pleaded guilty to related charges:
Luis Aguilar Romero, 29, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2008, to conspiracy, social security fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Francisco Hernandez Lopez, 24, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2008, to conspiracy.
Giovanny Trejo Gomez, 23, pleaded guilty on July 21, 2008, to conspiracy, identification document fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Jose Rodriguez Rodriguez, 44, pleaded guilty on July 31, 2008, to conspiracy.
Cesar Vazquez Ventura, 39, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2008, to conspiracy, identification document fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Jose Luis Plata Silva, 55, pleaded guilty on September 8, 2008, to conspiracy.
Gabriel Garcia Sanchez, 25, pleaded guilty on September 9, 2008, to conspiracy, social security fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
Sentencing for Romero is set for September 22, 2008; Lopez is September 29, 2008; Rodriguez and Gomez will be sentenced on October 30, 2008; and Arellano, Sanchez, Plata Silva, Ventura are scheduled for sentencing on November 21, 2008, all before United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash.
This case is being investigated by Special Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Detectives of the DeKalb County Police Department, Investigators with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Affairs, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the participants in a Federal and State Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorney Teresa D. Hoyt is prosecuting the case.
— ICE —
September 15, 2008
Note: The following text is a qutoe:
http://washingtondc.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/wfo091508.htm
EIGHT MEMBERS OF LOCAL BLOODS GANG SECT INDICTED ON FEDERAL RACKETEERING CHARGES
Blood Members are Charged with Kidnapping and Assaulting Young Female Gang Member who was Trying to Leave the Gang
WASHINGTON – Eight members of the 662 Boss Piru gang, which purports to be a sect of the notorious, nationwide Bloods gang, have been charged by a federal grand jury in a 19-count indictment with conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity, kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity and numerous local offenses, including kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon, six counts of sexual abuse and obstructing justice, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Cathy L. Lanier, and Joseph Persichini Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Washington Field Office, announced today.
The eight defendants are: Albert M. Price, 31, also known as “Original Gangster” and “Hellmary,” the believed leader of the gang; Marisa R. Gibson, 31, also known as “Angel of Death” and “Lady 151,” the believed leader of the female members of the gang; Deandre R. Tolson, 22, also known as “Bloody Sniper” and “Hellmary Jr.”; Marlowe St. Claire, 20, also known as “Bloody Lo”; Ceasar M. Hall, 19, also known as “Bloody Banger”; Latoye S. Morrison, 19, also known as “Lady Wax”; Lewis E. Fields, 21, also known as “Little Psycho”; and Dimitri Hightower, 29, also known as “Miciyh Jenkins” and “Bloody Micky.”
The indictment was returned under seal on September 9, 2008, and unsealed on Friday, September 12, 2008, following the arrest of several of the defendants. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned starting today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If convicted of the charges, the defendants face the possibility of life imprisonment without the possibility of release.
“The horrific and violent kidnapping and assault of a young female gang member in this case by her alleged fellow gang members is a prime example of why we must be vigilant in not allowing gangs to get a foothold in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Taylor. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will use every tool in our arsenal to bring to justice those who engage in violent criminal conduct. This indictment sends a clear message to gang members who engage in such criminal activity that there are grave consequences for their actions.”
“The arrests of these individuals are a part of our continued law enforcement efforts to rid our streets of violent crime,” said MPD Chief Lanier. “The District of Columbia is not and will not be a place where individuals can engage in violent activity.”
“Today’s announcement regarding the indictment and arrest of several members of the Bloods serves as a strong reminder that the FBI will continue to investigate reports of any violent or gang-related activity to ensure the safety of our community and its citizens,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Perschini.
The indictment alleges that the defendants are members of a criminal organization known as 662 Boss Piru, a “set” of, that is, a sub-group of, or gang affiliated with, the Bloods gang, a violent, nationwide gang. The indictment alleges that the 662 Boss Piru gang is a criminal enterprise that has operated since at least 2004, and which engages in a variety of criminal activities including prostitution, narcotics dealing, assault, threats, witness intimidation, kidnapping and robbery in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and elsewhere. According to the indictment, members of the 662 Boss Piru gang use intimidation, violence and threats of violence, including assault and kidnapping, to discipline and punish enterprise members and associates who violate enterprise rules or were disloyal.
The indictment further alleges that on June 8-9, 2008, the eight defendants kidnapped and assaulted a fellow young female gang member who was attempting to leave the gang. The alleged assault occurred in the 4900 block of Astor Place, SE, Washington, D.C. Thereafter, in a secluded area in 4500 block of Grant Street, NE, Washington, D.C., five of the defendants, Gibson, Tolson, St. Claire, Hall, Morrison, and Fields, are alleged to have forced the fellow gang member to perform sexual acts with four men that she did not know.
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Taylor, MPD Chief Lanier, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Persichini praised the efforts of the FBI Special Agents who are investigating this matter, and the work of MPD Detectives Ali Roberts, Thurman Stallings, Neil Jones and Derrick Bolding; MPD Sergeant Kevin Rice; MPD Officers Corey Perkins, Charles Monk, Sherrie Forester, Jeffrey Nassar and John Salamone; MPD Evidence Technicians Natasha Pettus, Tony Nwani, Carmen Pagan, Valerie Campbell, John Holder and James Holder; and Metro Transit Officer Lenny Smith. Also commended were U.S. Attorney’s Office support personnel Eugena Johnson, Nicole Lee, James Mazzitelli, Kim Hall and Teesha Tobias, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark O’Brien and Greg Marshall, who are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.