Feds: Aurora man part of massive Puerto Rican ID theft ring

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A police officer escorts a man after his arrest in connection with a document fraud case in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday Jan. 11, 2012. Fifty people have been accused of conspiring to sell the identities of hundreds of Puerto Ricans to illegal immigrants on the U.S. mainland in the largest individual fraud case ever for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, authorities said Wednesday. (AP Photo/El Vocero, Dennis A. Jones) PUERTO RICO OUT - NO USAR EN PUERTO RICO

Information on ID theft

Anyone who believes that they have been a victim of identity theft, or wants information about preventing identity theft, may obtain information and complaint forms on various government websites:

▪ www.ftc.gov/idtheft

▪ www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/pubs/ID_theft/idtheft.html

▪ www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html

▪ www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/cyber/identity_theft

▪ www.irs.gov/privacy/article/0,,id=186436,00.html

Article Extras

Updated: March 24, 2012 11:44PM

Ismael Alvaro Lopez Rangel is apparently a man of many names. In addition to the lengthy moniker given to him at birth, he also used the name Ricardo Omar Morales Bigas. And, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, he had an Illinois ID card that read Armando Trevino Jr.

Now, the Aurora resident many need an alibi for each name. Rangel was one of 50 people arrested in 15 states and Puerto Rico Wednesday, accused of participating in a vast identity fraud conspiracy that sold Puerto Rican identities to people living in the U.S.

Rangel was one of four people arrested in Illinois. One man, Angel Manuel Perea Salazar, was arrested in DeKalb, and two other people were arrested in Rockford. Thirteen people were arrested in Puerto Rico. Rangel’s address and age were not released by the Department of Justice.

All of the men and women were charged with identity trafficking and face up to 15 years if convicted.

“The conspiracy ... undermines the integrity of our national immigration system,” Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said in a press release sent out Wednesday. “We will continue working with our federal partners to protect our homeland from criminals who have no regard for our nation’s safety and security.”

The conspiracy

The conspiracy involved a long-distance connection between Puerto Rican suppliers and American identity brokers to sell fake names, state ID cards, driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and even voter cards.

According to the indictment, men and women in Caguas, Puerto Rico, collected the identities and corresponding documents of real Puerto Rican residents. Caguas is a large city in the Puerto Rico’s Central Mountain Range, about 20 miles from the capital, San Juan. Puerto Rican residents are U.S. citizens.

While suppliers gathered the names and documents, brokers were looking for customers in the United States. According to indictment, the brokers would find people — usually undocumented or illegal residents — who wanted to buy Puerto Rican Social Security cards and birth certificates. The brokers generally charged between $700 and $2,500 for the set.

The broker would ask the customer for half the money up front, which would be sent to suppliers in Puerto Rico. The broker would then call Puerto Rico to order the documents. The broker would ask for “skirts” if they needed documents for a woman and “pants” if they needed men’s documents. The size of the clothes would refer to the age of the customer.

The Puerto Rican suppliers would then mail the documents to America by express or priority mail. When the broker delivered the documents, they would keep the second half of the customer’s payment.

The feds said the customers sometimes used the documents to commit financial fraud or try to get passports.

Rangel’s role

The indictment alleges that Rangel was an identity broker. The federal government says that in January 2009, Rangel was able to get an Illinois ID card using his fake name, “Ricardo Omar Morales Bigas.” A year later, the feds allege, Rangel was able to get a second Illinois ID card using the name “Armando Trevino Jr.”

Then, using the Trevino name, Rangel wired money to Puerto Rico 17 different times. According to the indictment, Rangel sent between $200 and $1,000 from Western Union stations in and around Oswego.

During a recorded conversation with a cooperating witness in September 2011, Rangel admitted that he had documents for sale.

Salazar, who lived in DeKalb, also worked as a broker. According to the indictment, he took delivery of documents from Puerto Rico. He then instructed another person — who was cooperating with the feds — to go to the state Department of Motor Vehicles office in Aurora and apply for a license. Salazar later sold the cooperating witnesses two documents for $1,950.

Nationwide arrests

The indictment alleges that in addition to Illinois, Puerto Rican suppliers sent identification documents to Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Connecticut, Georgia and Indiana.

Many of the men and women were arrested Wednesday while officers also searched homes as part of an ongoing investigation. The defendants are scheduled to appear in federal court this week.

A website will be established to provide information to potential victims and the public. Anyone who believes their identity may have been compromised can contact Immigration officials at 866-347-2423 or online at www.ice.gov/tipline.

The Justice Department said the charges are the result of Operation Island Express, a nationally coordinated investigation led by the Homeland Security Chicago Office. Elgin Police, the Illinois Secretary of State Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois are among dozens of agencies involved.