A federal judge sentenced a Dominican to four years and nine months in prison for selling the IDs of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens to illegal immigrants residing in the United States, according to authorities.Rodriguez-Canario plead guilty on Feb. 16, to conspiracy to possess and transfer identification documents, conspiracy to encourage an alien to reside in the United States for financial gain, and aggravated identity theft.
“Rodriguez-Canario and his co-conspirators sold identity documents to illegal aliens knowing that those documents would be used to commit crimes, including Social Security fraud,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski. “The Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners will not tolerate criminal aliens who undermine the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. We will aggressively enforce U.S. immigration laws and seek stiff penalties against those who violate them.”
“Identity theft poses a severe threat to public safety by potentially enabling those with criminal intent to travel to or remain in the United States,” said HSI Executive Associate Director Derek Benner. “HSI will continue to utilize its unique authorities, working closely with our law enforcement counterparts, to combat this crime and ensure justice for the victims.”
According to admissions in his plea agreement, Rodriguez-Canario obtained identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens, usually consisting of birth certificates, social security cards and driver’s licenses, and shipped them to co-conspirators in the United States.
Further, the plea agreement states that his co-conspirators sold Social Security cards and Puerto Rican birth certificates to individuals illegally residing on the mainland United States for prices ranging from $500 to $1,300 per set.
The defendant admitted that the co-conspirators used money transfer services and the U.S. mail to complete their illicit transactions.
Rodriguez-Canario also admitted that he knew that the customers who purchased the identity documents intended to commit social security fraud and other criminal offenses, according to officials.