August 28, 2007

25 charged in N.C. identity theft investigation

RALEIGH, N.C. - United States Attorney George E. B. Holding announced today that his office has obtained criminal complaints charging 25 individuals with identity theft and various immigration violations. These individuals were arrested on Aug. 22, 2007, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as part of an investigation that focused on individuals who were working at the Smithfield Processing plant in Tar Heel, N.C., and who had, as part of the commission of other crimes, transferred, possessed or used the identification of someone else in violation of federal law. The United States Attorney will ask the federal grand jury to consider these cases in the near future.

Mr. Holding addressed the problem of identity theft as follows: "The theft of an individual's identity where one assumes another person's name, Social Security number, or other critical information, compromises our security and can cause untold problems for the real owner of that information. It is particularly troubling when individuals come to this country illegally and then prey upon others while here. My office is committed to aggressively pursuing those who engage in this type of criminal activity."

"Investigations like this are particularly important to protecting U.S. citizens from identity theft," said Kenneth Smith, special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigation overseeing North Carolina. "ICE is determined to aggressively seek those who enter the country illegally and victimize others by committing identity theft."

If convicted, the individuals arrested on Aug. 22, 2007, face, among other penalties, a sentence of up to two years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. A criminal complaint is a charging instrument and reflects a finding by a federal judge that probable cause exists to believe that these individuals have committed the crimes charged. All individuals charged today are entitled to a presumption of innocence throughout these proceedings.

ICE investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Candelmo, John Bowler, David Hayden and Eric Evenson will prosecute the cases for the United States.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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