ICE worksite enforcement operation uncovers widespread identity theft affecting more than 100 victims across the nation

OMAHA, Neb. — A recent worksite enforcement operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed massive identity theft impacting unsuspecting U.S. citizens whose personal information was used by illegal aliens to gain unlawful employment at Glenn Valley Foods.

The ICE-led multiagency investigation uncovered approximately 70 illegal aliens who were using stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits and employment authorization, leaving more than 100 real victims to face devastating financial, emotional and legal consequences.

“There have been individuals who have gone on the record recently referring to the identity thieves we arrested last week as ‘good, hardworking, and honest,’” said Mark Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, which covers Omaha. “These so-called honest workers have caused an immeasurable amount of financial and emotional hardship for innocent Americans. If pretending to be someone you aren’t in order to steal their lives isn’t blatant, criminal dishonesty, I don’t know what is.”

Some examples of the impact of these stolen identities include:

• A healthcare provider was forced to deny medically necessary prescriptions to a victim in Pennsylvania after his identity was stolen. It was later determined that someone used the victim’s name and Social Security number to illegally gain employment and healthcare benefits based on fraudulent employment at Glenn Valley Foods.
• A disabled victim in Texas, who was unable to work, struggled to get their Social Security disability payments because an illegal alien was fraudulently using their identity and earning wages at Glenn Valley Foods.
• The IRS requested a victim in Colorado to repay more than $5,000 after their income was falsely increased due to an illegal alien stealing their identity and using it to work at Glenn Valley Foods.
• A full-time nursing student from Missouri lost their college tuition assistance because it was fraudulently reported that they earned too much money. The investigation revealed that an illegal alien at Glenn Valley Foods was using their Social Security number for employment. The same victim was also unable to renew their Missouri driver’s license, until HSI contacted the Department of Motor Vehicles on their behalf, because the alien who stole her identity has multiple unpaid traffic violations.
• A victim in California has been working for nearly 15 years to regain their identity and fix the financial damage done by an illegal alien who was working at Glenn Valley Foods.

“The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” concluded Zito. “These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”

The investigation is ongoing.

Members of the public with information about suspected immigration violations or related criminal activity are encouraged to contact the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or submit information online via the ICE Tip Form.

To schedule an interview please contact Public Affairs Officer Tanya Roman at Tanya.Roman@hsi.dhs.gov.