MEMPHIS, TN – Twenty individuals have been indicted for working under false identities, announced U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee.
On November 28, 2017, law enforcement arrested 20 illegal aliens working under false identities. A Memphis employment agency, Provide Staffing, assigned multiple employees to Expeditors International, a freight forwarder based in Memphis.
In the course of their regular duties, Transportation Security Administration inspectors in Memphis noticed anomalies in Security Threat Assessment paperwork submitted on behalf of Provide Staffing workers on contract to Expeditors International, and referred their findings to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
Tennessee Highway Patrol’s (THP) Criminal Investigative Division investigated and arrested these 20 individuals on state charges. ICE Homeland Security Investigations conducted a parallel investigation in coordination with TSA and other law enforcement agencies.
As a result of that investigation, the defendants are alleged to have presented fraudulent documents, between March 2016 and January 2017, to certify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States.
The Immigration and Reform Act of 1986, amended, and the Immigration and Nationality Act together require employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of their employees using a prescribed form, Form I-9, and require that employees present documents to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Each defendant is charged with knowingly using a false identification document as evidence of his or her employment eligibility, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1546 (a) or Section 1546(b) (2).
The 20 defendants indicted on federal charges include:
- Jamie Ramundo Martinez, a/k/a/ Angel Martinez, 36, Guatemala
- Pedro Garcia-Guaneros, a/k/a/ Pedro Garcia, 34, Mexico
- Oscar Tepole-Sanchez, a/k/a/ Oscar Tepole, 36, Mexico
- Hilda Hernandez-Garduno, a/k/a/ Hilda Hernandez, 37, Mexico
- Angel Calmo-Aguilar, a/k/a/ Angel Calmo, 24, Guatemala
- Edgar Lopez-Marin, a/k/a/ Edgar Lopez, 37, Mexico
- Fernando Ramos-Jacobo, a/k/a/ Fernando Ramos, 27, Mexico
- Willivaldo Arenales-Soriano, a/k/a/ Wilibaldo Arenales, 35, Mexico
- Fernando Alexi Duran-Reyes, a/k/a/ Eduardo Duran, 43, Honduras
- Ramon Paz-Peredes, a/k/a/ Ramon Paz, 47, Honduras
- Josue Vaca-Alvarodo, a/k/a/Pedro Cordero, 41, Honduras
- Arturo Robles-Larios, 36, Mexico
- Sixto Landaverde-Rodriguez, a/k/a/ Sixto Rodruguez, 42, Mexico
- Rodolfo Hernandez-Sanchez, a/k/a/ Leonel Sanchez, 37, Mexico
- Henry Calmo-Aguilar, a/k/a/ Henry Calmo, 22, Guatemala
- Eligio Lopez-Acevedo, 34, Mexico
- Artemio Moreno-Gordillo, a/k/a/ Artemio Moreno, 44, Mexico
- Jose Moreno-Martinez, 25, Mexico
- Marlon Martinez-Martinez, a/k/a/ Marlon Martinez, 36, Honduras
- Raquel Delin-Ramos, a/k/a/ Raquel Delin, 32, Mexico
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- John O. Wilson, Insurance Fraud Scheme, Tennessee 2023 · Alabama
- Earl Lafayette Hall III, UCX Benefits Fraud, Tennessee 2018 · Pennsylvania
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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