Aug. 19, 2010

ANOTHER ILLEGAL ALIEN INDICTED AFTER TRYING TO ENTER McCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE

WICHITA, KAN. – A second illegal alien has been indicted for document fraud after trying to gain access to McConnell Air Force Base here, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced today.

The illegal alien, Lorenzo Mondragon-Sanchez, 38, a Mexican national, tried to enter the base Aug. 11 as part of a work crew for Djon Construction Co., a subcontractor of Lakeshore Engineering Services, Inc., which has building projects underway on the base. Mondragon currently is in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and is expected to appear in court on the indictment early next week.

Another illegal, Jose Gonzalez-Ramirez, also 38 and also of Mexico, was indicted in July for re-entry after deportation and document fraud in a similar incident in connection with his employment by ServiceMaster Clean in a Wink, Inc., Wichita, which also has a base contract. Gonzalez-Ramirez remains in federal custody; his charges are pending. Djon and Lakeshore both are Michigan companies.

Mondragon was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury here on charges of document fraud and aggravated identity theft. He allegedly used an altered Resident Alien card and counterfeit Social Security card bearing a number assigned to someone else to get his job with Djon. If convicted, Mondragon faces up to 10 years in federal prison on the document fraud count and a minimum mandatory sentence of two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft count. There is no parole from federal prison sentences.

The case was investigated by the Air Force Security Police at McConnell and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting. As in any criminal case, an indictment merely alleges criminal conduct and the person charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty.