A Dominican national was sentenced today to serve 42 months in prison
for her role in trafficking the identities of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens
and corresponding identity documents, announced Acting Assistant
Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal
Division; U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodríguez-Vélez of the District of
Puerto Rico; Acting Director John Sandweg of U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE); Chief Postal Inspector Guy J. Cottrell of the
U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Director Gregory B. Starr of
the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS); and
Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chief Richard
Weber.
Arelis Abreu-Ramos, formerly of Philadelphia, was sentenced by U.S.
District Judge Gustavo A. Gelpí in the District of Puerto Rico. In
addition to Abreu-Ramos’s prison term, Judge Gelpí ordered her removal
from the United States to the Dominican Republic after the completion of
her sentence.
On June 13, 2013, Abreu-Ramos pleaded guilty in Puerto Rico to one count
of conspiracy to commit identification fraud and one count of
conspiracy to commit human smuggling for financial gain.
Abreu-Ramos was charged in a superseding indictment returned by a
federal grand jury in Puerto Rico on March 22, 2012. To date, a total
of 53 individuals have been charged for their roles in the identity
trafficking scheme, and 42 defendants have pleaded guilty.
Court documents allege that individuals located in the Savarona area of
Caguas, Puerto Rico (Savarona suppliers), obtained Puerto Rican
identities and corresponding identity documents. Other conspirators
located in various cities throughout the United States (identity
brokers) allegedly solicited customers and sold Social Security cards
and corresponding Puerto Rico birth certificates for prices ranging from
$700 to $2,500 per set. The superseding indictment alleges that
identity brokers ordered the identity documents from the Savarona
suppliers, on behalf of the customers, by making coded telephone calls.
The conspirators are charged with using text messages, money transfer
services, and express, priority or regular U.S. mail to complete their
illicit transactions.
Court documents allege that some of the conspirators assumed a Puerto
Rican identity themselves and used that identity in connection with the
trafficking operation. Their customers generally obtained the identity
documents to assume the identity of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens and to
obtain additional identification documents, such as legitimate state
driver’s licenses. Some customers allegedly obtained the documents to
commit financial fraud and attempted to obtain a U.S. passport.
According to court documents, various identity brokers were operating in
Rockford, Ill.; DeKalb, Ill.; Aurora, Ill.; Seymour, Ind.; Columbus,
Ind.; Indianapolis; Hartford, Conn.; Clewiston, Fla.; Lilburn, Ga.;
Norcross, Ga.; Salisbury, Md.; Columbus, Ohio; Fairfield, Ohio;
Dorchester, Mass.; Lawrence, Mass.; Salem, Mass.; Worcester, Mass.;
Grand Rapids, Mich.; Nebraska City, Neb.; Elizabeth, N.J.; Burlington,
N.C.; Hickory, N.C.; Hazelton, Pa.; Philadelphia; Houston; Abingdon,
Va.; Albertville, Ala.; and Providence, R.I.
Abreu-Ramos admitted that she operated as an identity broker in the
Philadelphia area, and that she was a manager and supervisor in the
conspiracy. According to court documents, in June 2011, an unauthorized
alien in Arlington, Va., applied for a U.S. passport using legitimate
Puerto Rico identity documents that had been supplied by Abreu-Ramos.
Law enforcement agents uncovered the fraudulent application and
prevented the issuance of the U.S. passport.
Abreu-Ramos is the 29th defendant to be sentenced in this case.
The charges are the result of Operation Island Express, an ongoing,
nationally-coordinated investigation led by the ICE Homeland Security
Investigations (ICE-HSI) Chicago Office and USPIS, DSS and IRS-CI
offices in Chicago, in coordination with the ICE-HSI San Juan Office and
the DSS Resident Office in Puerto Rico. The Illinois Secretary of
State Police; Elgin, Ill., Police Department; Seymour, Ind., Police
Department; and Indiana State Police provided substantial assistance.
The ICE-HSI Assistant Attaché office in the Dominican Republic and
International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2)
as well as various ICE, USPIS, DSS and IRS-CI offices around the
country provided invaluable support.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys James S. Yoon, Hope S.
Olds, Courtney B. Schaefer and Christina Giffin of the Criminal
Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, with the
assistance of the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money
Laundering Section, and the support of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for
the District of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the
Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Indiana, District of
Connecticut, District of Massachusetts, District of Nebraska, Middle
District of North Carolina, Southern District of Ohio, Middle District
of Pennsylvania, District of Rhode Island, Southern District of Texas
and Western District of Virginia provided substantial assistance.
Potential victims and the public may obtain information about the case at:
www.justice.gov/criminal/vns/caseup/beltrerj.html
. Anyone who believes their identity may have been compromised in
relation to this investigation may contact the ICE toll-free hotline at
1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) and its online tip form at
www.ice.gov/tipline
. Anyone who may have information about particular crimes in this case should also report it to the ICE tip line or website.