Man Charged for Document Fraud

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- A federal judge has sentenced a Guatemalan man to more than two months in prison for using fake identification documents.

36-year-old Jose Lopez-Morales had been living in Independence before pleading guilty in January to unlawful use of identification documents.

Prosecutors said Lopez-Morales used a fake permanenct resident card in November, bearing a fake name, when applying for a job in Fairbank. They said the social security number Lopez-Morales used belonged to a U.S. citizen, and the permanent resident number he used was not assigned to him.

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested Lopez-Morales and his minor child in Arizona after they illegally entered the U.S. in October. Authorities released him pending immigration proceedings. On December 5, Lopez-Morales admitted to immigration officials in Cedar Rapids he worked under a false name in Fairbank.

The judge sentenced Lopez-Morales to 76 days imprisonment and two years of supervised release after the prison term.

Lopez-Morales is in the U.S. Marshal's custody until he is turned over to immigration officials.


View Full Site