rocktownweekly.com
HARRISONBURG, Virginia -- A federal grand jury indicted two men this week on charges of selling fake identification cards, Social Security cards and Puerto Rican birth certificates in the Shenandoah Valley.
Gabino Gutierrez-Reyes, 30, and Franco Tellez-Rodriguez, 18, are named in an 11-count indictment that alleges conspiracy to make fake documents, identity theft and Social Security fraud, according to a statement released by U.S. Attorney John Brownlee’s office on Feb. 15.
The two men are illegal immigrants from Mexico and will be tried in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg, according to Heidi Coy, spokeswoman for Brownlee. The grand jury that issued the indictments Thursday sits in Roanoke, she said.
Court records filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement say selling fake documents is an “extremely lucrative” business, and that law enforcement busts some distributors only to see others take their place.