3rd Fresno resident sentenced for manufacturing and selling fraudulent identity documents
FRESNO, Calif. – A Fresno woman was sentenced in federal court Monday to 14 months in prison for conspiring to produce, transfer, possess, and sell fake identification documents, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Investigation Division.
Veronica Rosales-Capitaine, 49, was previously convicted of conspiring with others to manufacture fraudulent identification documents, including Social Security cards and alien registration receipt cards. The activity occurred between June 2015 and June 2016. According to court documents, customers placed orders for the identification documents and paid as much as $150 for a set. In March 2010, Rosales-Capitaine was convicted of the same offense and sentenced to six months' imprisonment, admitting that between January 2009 and October 2009, she conspired with others to manufacture fraudulent identification documents.
"The use of fraudulent benefit documents costs taxpayers billions of dollars each year," said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of HSI San Francisco. "Today's sentence demonstrates HSI's commitment to aggressively pursue those who commit such crimes."
On June 16, Rosales-Capitaine and five co-defendants were arrested in connection with the most recent scheme. On Dec. 5, co-defendant Francisco Javier Hidalgo-Flores was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment and co-defendant Lizet Amairani Ramirez-Zazueta was sentenced to time served. Charges are pending against the remaining co-defendants.
The charges are only allegations; they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.
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