July 21, 2005
Feds Bust Huge Counterfeit ID Ring

Assoicated Press

DENVER — Federal authorities said Wednesday they had disrupted a far-flung ring that made counterfeit immigration and identification documents, and they hope to extradite the alleged leader from Mexico.

Authorities said the fake Social Security cards, driver's licenses and other documents were so sophisticated that only a crime lab could distinguish them from the real thing.

An indictment accuses Pedro Castorena-Ibarra of Guadalajara, Mexico, of overseeing cells in more than a dozen cities across the country. Cell leaders paid a "franchise fee" to get in on the operation, said Marcy Forman, director of investigations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Posted by Suzanne at July 21, 2005
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