Sacramento man sentenced for producing phony immigration documents

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A 37-year-old Mexican national living in Sacramento was sentenced Friday to 15 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release for producing fake identification documents and possessing document making equipment.

Silverio Raymundo Izehuatl-Sarmiento was also ordered by the court to forfeit more than 30 pieces of equipment he used to produce the false documents. The case is the result of a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

"Trafficking in counterfeit documents poses a serious security vulnerability and contributes to a host of other types of crimes, including identity theft and financial fraud," said Daniel Lane, assistant special agent in charge of HSI Sacramento. "These investigations are a top enforcement priority for HSI – our goal is to identify and ultimately dismantle the criminal organizations behind these highly lucrative schemes."

According to court documents filed in the case, Izehuatl-Sarmiento produced and sold false documents – often in sets that contained both a forged Social Security card and a phony alien registration card (green card). Between January and May, undercover HSI special agents purchased multiple sets of these documents from Izehuatl-Sarmiento.

While executing a search warrant at Izehuatl-Sarmiento’s home, HSI special agents discovered a home office containing an array of printing equipment, which the defendant admitted he used to make false identification documents. Izehuatl-Sarmiento told HSI special agents that making counterfeit documents was his "job" and that he had engaged in this activity for the past five years – producing approximately two documents a day, seven days per week.