Another Illegal Alien from Guatemala Sentenced in Counterfeit Identity Document Ring

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey today announced that Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez, 43, a citizen of Guatemala, was sentenced to 8 months in custody in prison for conspiracy to transfer false identification documents.

U.S. Attorney VerHey said, "Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez unlawfully entered the United States more than 20 years ago and has been unlawfully present ever since. He doubled down on his criminal behavior by working in a fraudulent identity document business once he got here. This kind of lawless behavior will not be tolerated."

Mr. Vasquez-Vasquez is the third of three defendants charged with and convicted of participating in a scheme by Guatemalans illegally present in the United States to advertise, manufacture, and sell fraudulent Social Security and Permanent Resident cards, as well as other false identification documents, to other persons illegally residing in the Grand Rapids area during 2024 and 2025. The conspirators profited by receiving payments for the counterfeit documents, and the recipients benefitted by using the documents to obtain employment and access to services intended for citizens and immigrants lawfully in the United States.

At the time of his arrest on September 30, 2025, case agents executed a search warrant at Vasquez-Vasquez's Grand Rapids residence. They located and seized multiple computers, laptops, cellular telephones, DVDs, CDs, thumb drives, micro-SD cards, fraudulent identification cards, and Guatemalan passports, as well as an iPad, an external hard drive, and a computer tower.

Upon the completion of his sentence, he will be taken into ICE custody for removal proceedings.

"This sentencing sends a clear message: Homeland Security Investigations will aggressively pursue and dismantle criminal organizations that traffic in fraudulent identification documents and exploit our immigration system," said HSI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey. "We remain steadfast in our mission to protect our communities, uphold the integrity of our nation's laws, and ensure that those who undermine public safety face the full consequences of their actions."

The Grand Rapids office of Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Daniels prosecuted it.

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Michigan Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.