The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK, Virginia -- A woman accused of helping her brother operate a fraudulent document business catering to illegal immigrants at the Beach has confessed to authorities, a federal prosecutor said in court Wednesday.
The woman, Maria R. Salas, took pictures for the counterfeit document operation, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. DePadilla.
"This was a well-oiled machine," DePadilla said during a hearing in U.S. District Court. "They had samples, and you could pick out what IDs you wanted to get."
The counterfeit operation advertised in Spanish language newspapers and handed out business cards at a Beach taco stand, DePadilla said before Magistrate Judge James E. Bradberry.
It was near the taco stand on Virginia Beach Boulevard that Salas took pictures of customers to personalize the fake IDs, DePadilla said. Cards were completed at an off-site location and mailed to customers.
Posted by tyne at April 12, 2007