NJ man pleads guilty to the manufacture and sale of fraudulent government documents

FREEHOLD, N.J. — An Ocean Township, N.J., man pleaded guilty Jan. 14 to the manufacture and sale of fraudulent government documents. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison. The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Ocean Township Police Department.

Lucio Medina-Sanchez, 37, of Ocean Township, pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing false government identification and two counts of selling false government identification.

According to court documents, HSI special agents and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at Medina-Sanchez's residence Feb. 2, 2012. The search resulted in the seizure of computers, laminates and other material used to create the false documents.

The investigation revealed Medina-Sanchez was manufacturing false government identification cards including Social Security cards and U.S. permanent resident cards – commonly known as green cards – inside his township apartment.

Medina-Sanchez required his customers to provide him with a passport-sized photo and a name and birth date of their choosing. The payment was determined by the type of document he manufactured.

Sentencing is scheduled in March 2013.