Sentences Issued For Men Caught With Fake Residency Cards

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Two Mexican men who entered the United States illegally were sentenced in Great Falls Federal court for possession of fraudulent immigration documents.

I spoke with Montana’s U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme on Thursday about the two cases, in which Luis Alberto Vega-Lily and Francisco Alcocer-Sanchez were sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Prosecuted Two Mexican Men for Fraudulent Immigration Documents

“Mr. Lily was found on the train in Havre, and he was found to be in the country illegally,” began Alme. “He also was found to have a fraudulent social security card and a fraudulent Permanent Resident Card. So these are fraudulent immigration documents, which are crime and of course, there he was in the country illegally. So back on July 7, he was sentenced to time served, which was 120 days in prison, and then he's being remanded to the U.S. Customs Border Patrol for deportation.”

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Both Men were Sentenced and are Being Deported Back to Mexico

Alme then detailed the case against Alcocer-Sanchez.

“Mr. Alcocer-Sanchez was arrested in Fairview, Montana as part of a DUI stop, and he provided an expired license, a permanent resident card that had his picture, but had another name and an alien number on it. So he had actually had status as a lawful permanent resident back in 1991 but that status got revoked in 1998 after he was convicted for importing cocaine.”

Alme said suspects like Vega-Lily and Alcocer-Sanchez possessed fraudulent immigration documents.

Both Men had Realistic but Fraudulent Immigration Documents

“What are new here are the fraudulent immigration documents,” he said. “These are the first two cases of their kind that we've had in a while. But we know nationally, we're seeing more fraudulent immigration documents, and we have individuals out there who are trying to profit on illegal aliens who are coming into the United States by providing them immigration documents, fraudulent immigration documents to allow them to try to avoid identification and deportation.”

Alme provided the number of those suspects who have been apprehended, sentenced and deported.

Alme said 52 Individuals have been Arrested and Deported back to Mexico

“52 individuals have been referred to our office for criminal prosecution since the beginning of the year,” he said. “So in the first six months of the year, we've had 52 criminal prosecutions, and then, of course, there are more individuals who are just simply administratively deported by Homeland Security.”

Alme said the prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America and Project Safe Neighborhood.