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July 2, 2021Las Vegas, NV, United StatesDocument and Benefit Fraud

Belizean national sentenced for using counterfeit immigration, Social Security cards at Nevada DMV

LAS VEGAS – A Belize citizen, who was unlawfully in the United States, was sentenced Thursday to 37 months in prison for using a fraudulent U.S. Permanent Resident and Social Security cards while applying for a “Real ID” identification card at a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles office.

The investigation was a multi-agency effort, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, after referral by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles Compliance Enforcement Division.

“This investigation is an example of how those who abuse the immigration process will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” said Francisco Burrola, special agent in charge for the HSI Las Vegas. “HSI and our partner law enforcement agencies will continue to collaborate to aggressively pursue those individuals who seek to exploit the immigration process."

According to court documents, on Oct. 1, 2020, Rickon Amyon Wade, aka “Ricky Wade,” 35, attempted to obtain a Nevada “Real ID” identification card at a DMV office in Henderson, Nevada, by presenting counterfeit U.S. Permanent Resident and Social Security cards. Wade presented the cards – bearing his name and a Social Security number not assigned to him – as identification. Wade had obtained the fraudulent immigration and Social Security cards from a counterfeit document vendor in Los Angeles, California.

In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro sentenced Wade to three years of supervised release. A federal jury convicted Wade on March 11.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Oliva and Kimberly Frayn prosecuted the case.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

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