Diplomatic Security Special Agents Awarded on July 27th for Major Crime Section Efforts by Eastern District of Virginia U.S. Attorney’s Office

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 1, 2006

Special Agents James Mulligan and Barry Shaul Bust Passport/Visa Fraud Ring in Nation’s Capital

James Mulligan and Barry Shaul, Diplomatic Security agents in Washington, DC, work tirelessly to prevent child smuggling.

Special Agents Mulligan and Shaul were the case agents for Operation American Child, a federal child smuggling investigation headed by the State Department in 2004-5. The investigation resulted in the arrests of 25 people, and ended a child smuggling ring that used fraudulently obtained passports to illegally transport foreign children into the United States.

The smugglers recruited U.S. citizens. These citizens were paid to submit a passport application for their own child, but then attach a photograph of an alien child that was provided by the fraud ringleader, Belkis Diaz. Over the course of the fraud-busting operation, 17 people were arrested on federal criminal charges and eight on immigration charges.

Diaz, the ringleader, subsequently was convicted and sentenced to 63 months in a federal prison. The sentence was enhanced in part because the victims were declared "vulnerable victims" by the court. Thirteen other members of the fraud ring also were convicted.

Special Agent Tim Forte Helps Crack Indonesian-based Crime Conspiracy

During a two-year investigation, Special Agent Tim Forte was part of the award-winning team of investigators from federal and state agencies that uncovered several criminal rings dedicated to the preparation and submission of false asylum applications. The investigation was known as "Operation Jakarta."

The criminal rings prepared approximately 1,000 fraudulent asylum applications for Indonesian immigrants living throughout the United States in return for fees of $2,000 per application. The rings also caused the production of some 1,900 fraudulent Virginia ID documents.

The investigation uncovered labor certification fraud, social security fraud and money laundering. In addition, the agents found a conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking to import females, some of who were minors, from Indonesia to perform nude striptease and prostitution. Operation Jakarta resulted in the successful conviction of 21 individuals.

Special Agent Maurilio Rojano-Garcia Teams with DMV and FBI To Break Local Virginia DMV Fraud

During a six-month investigation, Maurilio Rojano-Garcia was part of the law enforcement team that helped bring charges against a Springfield Mall DMV manager, his wife and an accomplice. The three conspirators were engaged in producing and selling authentic Virginia driver’s licenses to immigrants unlawfully in the United States and other unqualified applicants.

________________________

Special Agents Shaul, Mulligan, Forte and Rojano-Garcia were recognized for their extensive efforts in ceremonies at the U.S. Attorney’s office on July 27^th in Alexandria, VA.

U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security has special agents assigned to U.S. diplomatic missions overseas and field offices throughout the United States. Diplomatic Security agents investigate passport and visa fraud and are responsible for security at 285 diplomatic facilities worldwide.