They had their initial court appearances Wednesday and were charged with fraud and misuse of an alien registration document, aggravated identity theft and misuse of a Social Security card number, according to a criminal complaint.
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Assistant U.S. attorney Dwight Keller said the penalties for those crimes are up to 10 years in prison, a mandatory minimum two years, and up to five years, respectively.
Blas, also known as Carlos Martinez, and Miguel, aka “El Vecino” (which translates to “The Neighbor”) were to be incarcerated without bond until a Tuesday detention hearing.
Homeland Security said Miguel has been removed from the United States five times and Blas has been removed four times, according to the complaint.
Angela Martinez, an American citizen, was released on her own recognizance with certain conditions. All three have a preliminary hearings scheduled for Sept. 13.
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The 2½-year investigation was a cooperative effort, according to Kevin Dye, Resident Agent in Charge for the Dayton office of the United States Secret Service.
“The Secret Service, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners and the (Greene County) ACE Task Force, conducted this investigation,” Dye said. “Law enforcement’s partnership was key in the pursuit of these defendants.”
Dye said more arrests and prosecutions are possible, including of those who purchased the IDs to possibly stay in the country illegally, get jobs, file taxes or get public assistance.
Other agencies involved included Dayton police, the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Social Security Administration, the Montgomery and Greene County sheriff’s offices, Sidney police, Beavercreek police and the Southern District of Ohio Financial and Electronic Crimes Task Force.
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All three defendants were arrested Aug. 23 pursuant to outstanding Fairborn Municipal Court arrest warrants and face state felony and misdemeanor charges for conspiracy, money laundering and forgery, according to the complaint.
Task force member Fred Meadows wrote that between November 2015 and March 2016, “Carlos” sold fake IDs eight times, exchanging them for money in the Chuy’s parking lot in Beavercreek.
Between April 17 and June 21, 2017, law enforcement oversaw six separate undercover controlled purchases of IDs by a confidential source, Meadows wrote.
Meadows wrote that all those exchanges included Miguel and/or Angela were made at Beavercreek’s Home Depot, with sources usually paying $240 apiece.
After a federal search warrant was signed, fake IDs and equipment were seized from both 209 N. Irwin St. and 1754 Huffman Ave. in Dayton.
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