Manuel Hidalgo Flores, Racketeering, Virginia 2023

RICHMOND, Va. – In a major blow to organized crime, Manuel Hidalgo Flores, 40, a Mexican National and former resident of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment for his role in a violent criminal organization that specialized in manufacturing and distributing fraudulent identifications.

Hidalgo Flores previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Engage in Racketeering, Interference with Commerce by Robbery, and Conspiracy to Launder Money. Further, the defendant is illegally within the United States and faces deportation following the service of his prison sentences.

According to court papers, this defendant is connected to a Fraudulent Document Enterprise (FDE) previously prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia in United States v. Israel Cruz Millan, Case No. 3:10CR308. The FDE which originally operated in the United States beginning prior to 2008 and continuing through November 18, 2010, had cells in Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Manassas, Virginia; Fayetteville and Little Rock, Arkansas; New Haven, Connecticut; Mishawaka, Indiana; Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; Chelsea, Massachusetts; St. Louis, Missouri; Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Providence, Rhode Island; and, Nashville, Tennessee.

In connection with his previous guilty plea, Hidalgo Flores admitted to his role in restarting and leading the FDE’s continued criminal activities in the United States following the 2010 arrests described above. Beginning at some point prior to February 2012, Hidalgo Flores, also known as “Chino,” “Chimuelo” and “Julio,” began managing the organization’s operations in the United States, supervising operations in Richmond, Virginia; Springdale, Arkansas; Boston, Massachusetts; Raleigh, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

As in the previous case, the FDE produced high-quality false identification cards for distribution to illegal aliens. In most cities where the organization operated, Hidalgo Flores placed a cell manager to supervise a number of “runners,” the lower level members of the organization who distributed business cards advertising the organization’s services and helped facilitate transactions with customers.

Within each cell supervised by Hidalgo Flores, the cell manager was responsible for distributing the fraudulent documents using information obtained from clients by “runners.” The runners would recruit illegal alien clients who wished to obtain false identification documents, including counterfeit Permanent Resident Alien Cards (also known as “Green Cards”), Social Security Cards, out-of-state identification cards, and various international documents.

Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Clark Settles, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement after the 135 month sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge James R. Spencer.

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