SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
Two charged in alleged false immigration document scheme
Hatch Valley resident and Texas man face 10 years if convicted
Published
A Hatch Valley woman is free on bond after being charged in an alleged false immigration document scheme along with a man from Fort Worth, Texas.
Homeland Security Investigations鈥� Las Cruces office, working with U.S. Border Patrol, launched a probe after fraudulent Social Security and Lawful Permanent Resident cards were intercepted at the Columbus Port of Entry in November, according to a federal criminal complaint.
The unnamed individual allegedly pointed law enforcement to a cash-for-work-papers scheme based at a residence in Hatch. In April, border authorities searched the phone of suspect Teodora 鈥淟ola鈥� Moreno Reyes, 46, at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso. On her device, prosecutors say agents found images of official documents and text messages including biographical information and pictures of faces the complaint states were used to manufacture records.
Prosecutors said the communications included images of finished documents and postal tracking information. In all, the complaint alleges the operation produced 14 fraudulent Texas identification cards, 76 fraudulent Social Security cards and 66 fraudulent Lawful Permanent Resident cards from 2024 to 2026.
The text messages led investigators to Fernando Galvan, 39, whom prosecutors allege was Moreno Reyes鈥� supplier in an enterprise where documents sold for $350.
The two were charged on three counts of conspiracy and document fraud. In a news release, the New Mexico U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office said the defendants face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Moreno Reyes was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond and is required to wear a GPS monitor as she awaits trial. In Texas, court records indicate Galvan waived a detention hearing and was ordered to remain in custody.
Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.
