SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, March 8, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A woman living illegally in Salt Lake City was arrested Wednesday after she allegedly made multiple fake social security cards and U.S. permanent resident cards.
A probable cause statement from Salt Lake County said Josefa Ramos-Medina, 59, is facing charges of:
- Identity fraud, a second-degree felony
- Eight counts of producing or transferring any false identification document, a second-degree felony
- Two counts of forgery, a third-degree felony
- Possession or use of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor
In the last part of 2018, agents with the Office of the Utah Attorney General Investigations Division SECURE Strike Force were made aware of a suspect, thought to be Ramos-Media, who was allegedly involved in the illegal manufacture and distribution of fraudulent identification documents.
“The documents being manufactured consisted of U.S. Permanent Resident cards and Social Security cards,” the statement said. “Agents were also reported that Ms. Medina was in the country illegally and obtained employment and other services by using another U.S. citizen’s social security number and a fraudulent permanent resident card.”
An undercover agent was able to make purchases of fraudulent documents on two different occasions directly from Ramos-Medina. Four fraudulent Social Security cards and four U.S. Permanent Resident cards were purchased.
On both occasions, the agent, who was equipped with a listening and video recording device, met with Ramos-Medina in the parking lot of her places of employment, which were in Salt Lake City and Murray City.
Upon further investigation agents learned that Ramos-Medina allegedly obtained employment at multiple places utilizing fraudulent documents. A routine check with the Utah Workforce Services, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration confirmed the numbers displayed on the face of the government issued ID cards presented by the suspect to employers were fraudulent.
It was found that Ramos-Medina was allegedly using her address in Salt Lake City to manufacture fraudulent documents. A search warrant for the residence was drafted and granted, and “a user amount of white powder substance was located in a bedroom that was identified as belonging to the suspect. A field test was completed on the white powder substance and it tested positive for cocaine.”
Ramos-Medina was read her Miranda rights in Spanish and declined to answer questions. She was then transported to Salt Lake County Jail with her bail set at $25,000.
25000 is not much shout been way more