Two convicted of counterfeiting official documents sentenced to prison
Two Mexican nationals convicted of producing counterfeit documents and selling phony identification cards have been sentenced to up to five years in prison.
Jose Navarro-Parra, 38, and Libia Bustillos-Gonzalez, 30, were sentenced Friday in Clark County District Court after pleading guilty in January to charges of establishing and possessing a financial forgery laboratory.
According to reports, the pair, both in the U.S. illegally, were producing “green cards,” social security cards, and driver’s licenses from multiple states and selling them at swap meets in the Las Vegas area.
Investigators said that the phony documents were of high quality.
In March 2011, special agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Las Vegas police detectives executed search warrants at both Navarro-Parra’s and Bustillos-Gonzalez’s homes, where they recovered counterfeiting equipment, including laminating machines, card stock, and $18,000 in cash.
“These sentences should serve as a sobering warning for anyone involved in the counterfeit document trade,” said Michael Harris, assistant special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Las Vegas. “Those who knowingly and indiscriminately sell phony identity documents are putting the security of our communities and even our country at risk.”
Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.
