The Daily News Record
HARRISONBURG, Virginia -- In October, a man purporting to be Jose Alberto Concepcion Ruiz went to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and applied for an identification card. He presented a Puerto Rican birth certificate and a Social Security card.
But, after giving the clerk the documents, the man didn’t know his own birthday or even his age, authorities say. His face didn’t match a picture in DMV records.
Last week, the man who at the DMV claimed to be Ruiz — Ruben Emilio Suarez Mejia, 26 — pleaded guilty to two felonies; forging a public record and illegally attempting to obtain a Virginia driver’s license, according to court records.
Mejia, who is now in custody on other pending charges, is also being a held on a detainer from Immigration and Customs and Enforcement, the federal agency charged with enforcing immigration law. The detainer means Mejia will face possible deportation when his charges in local courts are resolved.
Authorities don’t know where Mejia got Ruiz’s paperwork, but Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Louis Nagy says Mejia told an investigator he "bought the papers to work."
Authorities with several local law enforcement agencies say that those who lie about their identity wreak havoc on the both the legal system and the people whose identifications they steal.
People from all backgrounds lie about their identity to evade prosecution, officials say. But several officials said the crime seems more prevalent among illegal immigrants.
Posted by Richard at May 1, 2007