6 arrested in Indiana for conspiring to harbor illegal aliens

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Six people were arrested Wednesday and charged with harboring illegal aliens as part of a conspiracy that allegedly obtained motor vehicle registrations, license plates and titles for illegal aliens. These arrests resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The following defendants were each charged in an indictment returned June 14 with one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud: Margarito Fuentes-Reyes, 50, of Goshen, Ind., and Omar Lagunes Duran, 34, Yalitza Exclusa Borrero, 31, Evelyn Rivera Borrero, 43, Raul Rafael Roman Camacho, 47, and Luis Omar Montes-Merino, 33, all from Indianapolis.

The indictment alleges that the defendants presented false information, forged documents and made false representations to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Indiana Secretary of State. They also made false representations regarding the identity of the actual owners of motor vehicles to obtain motor vehicle registrations, license plates and titles. By committing these and other crimes, the defendants concealed, harbored and shielded illegal aliens from detection and encouraged illegal aliens to enter and remain in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The conspirators operated at locations in Indianapolis and Elkhart, Ind.

The following agencies assisted HSI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in the investigation: the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Elkhart Police Department, the Indiana State Police, the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Indiana Secretary of State. Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of Indiana also provided assistance.

The public is reminded that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.