Jackson Heights ‘Boss' Sentenced For Operating Bogus ID Ring

A Jackson Heights woman who worked as one of the &#8220bosses” for a major criminal enterprise that supplied fraudulent government identity documents to individuals throughout the country has been sentenced to up to six years in prison for managing the $1 million operation based in Jackson Heights.
The defendant has been identified as Maricruz Chavez (a/k/a Manicruz, a/k/a Tia), 31, of 41-30 Hampton Street in Jackson Heights. The defendant pleaded guilty to attempted enterprise corruption before Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter, who sentenced her to three to six years in prison and ordered her to forfeit $7,560.
District Attorney Richard A. Brown said that, in pleading guilty, Chavez admitted that she worked as one of the &#8220bosses” of the criminal enterprise who managed the operation, settled disputes between other members of the conspiracy, ordered the supplies needed for the making of the fraudulent documents, collected and distributed the cash proceeds of the operation and had ultimate authority over its illegal business.
The investigation began in May 2004 when information was developed by the District Attorney's Counter-Terrorism Unit within his Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau concerning the manufacture, sale, distribution and possession of forged identity documents, including driver's licenses, alien registration cards, passports, visas, and Social Security cards being sold on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights - an area which is considered to be the epicenter of such fraudulent activity on the East Coast.
According to the District Attorney, such fraudulent identification document enterprises typically consist of a boss, a cutter, runners and street sellers. The &#8220boss” managed the operation, settled disputes between other members of the conspiracy, ordered the supplies needed for the making of the fraudulent documents, collected and distributed the cash proceeds of the operation and had ultimate authority over its illegal business. The &#8220street sellers” dealt directly with the buyers and obtained the photographs and personal information that are to be placed on the forged documents; &#8220runners” picked up orders and delivered them to the &#8220mill” where the fraudulent documents are generated; and then the &#8220cutters” produced the documents.
The typical street price for a Social Security card is $40, a New York State driver's license costs $50 and a DHS-ICE resident alien card costs $60.
According to the District Attorney, the arrests in the case followed a 19-month investigation that included months of court-authorized wiretaps, video surveillance and thousands of intercepted telephone calls into the manufacturing, distribution, sale and the continued trafficking of fraudulent identification documents. During the investigation numerous search warrants were executed, resulting in the seizure of more than 5,000 completed, semi-completed and blank forged government identification documents - including 700 driver's licenses and identification cards from 11 different states and more than 2,400 Social Security cards - and forgery tools - such as typewriters, paper cutters, laminators, embossed laminated sheets and photo scanners - necessary to create the fraudulent documents.
Four other defendants are presently being sought for their alleged participation in the widespread black market trafficking of fraudulent identity documents.