A pair of undocumented immigrants and a U.S. citizen have been brought to justice for selling stolen identification documents to unsuspecting victims.
Ari Hernandez-Chacon, 47, a native and citizen of Mexico illegally residing in Columbus Junction, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to transfer identification documents and aggravated identity theft.
The crime dates back to February 25, 2016, when Hernandez-Chacon sold three real Social Security cards and three real birth certificates to an undercover agent, knowing that the documents belonged to U.S. citizens.
Hernandez-Chacon admitted in a plea agreement that the identity documents he sold belonged to real people with no arrest records, in an effort to avoid problems for the person using the stolen identities.
Hernandez-Chacon remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing, which will be determined after a presentence report is prepared.
He faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment on the possession of identification documents count and a mandatory sentence of 2 years’ imprisonment to be served consecutively on the aggravated identity theft count.
Hernandez-Chacon also faces a $500,000 fine, $200 in special assessments, and 3 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Identity Theft
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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