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9 Nabbed in Passport Fraud Operation Heat Wave
In a major operation, nine individuals suspected of passport fraud have been apprehended in Florida. The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service Miami Field Office, working with multiple federal, state, and local enforcement authorities, led the investigation.
Operation Heat Wave, a Florida statewide law enforcement operation, was conducted from February 18, 2016 through February 26, 2016 and spanned from Key Largo to Jacksonville. The operation resulted in the filing of federal criminal charges against nine individuals for passport and/or visa fraud offenses.
According to U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and identify for prosecution individuals who compromise our nation’s security through passport fraud. “The apprehension of fugitives and suspects delivers a clear message that federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities will find and bring to justice any individuals who attempt to defraud the U.S. government,” said Robert Grech, Special Agent in Charge of the DSS Miami Field Office.
Seven individuals were charged in the Southern District of Florida for making false statements in passport applications, while two additional individuals were charged in the Middle District of Florida for the same offense. If convicted, individuals charged with falsifying a passport application will face a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, and up to a $250,000 fine.
The DSS Miami Field Office is responsible for eight southern states, and approximately 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers were involved in the operation. The investigation was a collaborative effort between the DSS, U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Enforcement and Removal Operations, DHS Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, Florida Highway Patrol, Miami-Dade Police Department, and several other local law enforcement agencies.
An information, complaint, and indictment are merely legal filings containing accusations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The cases in the Southern District of Florida are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Keene, Theodore Cooperstein, Carmen Lineberger, Jonathan Stratton, and Brian Shack.
For more information, visit the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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