LOGANSPORT —
A West Lafayette man was sentenced to prison Thursday after admitting to his participation in a counterfeiting operation that catered to illegal immigrants.
Twenty-nine-year-old Mauricio Sauceda received a four-year prison term after admitting in April he was guilty of committing forgery, a class C felony.
His arrest stemmed from a controlled buy of fake documents arranged by the Logansport Police Department.
Court records show Logansport police used a confidential informant in August 2010 to buy a fake ID card along with a stolen Social Security card, marriage license and birth certificate for $1,000.
Police claim Sauceda used a blue backdrop similar to those seen in license branches to snap a photo inside a Logansport residence.
According to court records, he then traveled to West Lafayette to produce an Ohio ID card using information that matched the three personal documents included in the transaction.
A search of his residence reportedly turned up two ID-making machines, computer equipment, nearly 2,000 blank ID cards and more than 20 Social Security cards and birth certificates believed to have been stolen.
Deputy Prosecutor Bryan Coulter argued during a sentencing hearing Thursday in Cass Circuit Court that four years behind bars was appropriate for Sauceda.
He acknowledged that the state would often reach agreements in forgery cases allowing a defendant to plead guilty to a class D felony — a much lesser offense.
The prosecution didn’t cut Sauceda a break, however.
“This is not a normal forgery case,” Coulter said. “It sounded like an operation to buy, sell and manufacture fake IDs.”
It was an operation that police called lucrative. Police said a logbook contained a list of recent sales, and they found receipts showing that more than $10,000 had been wired to Mexico City in the months before Sauceda’s arrest.
Defense attorney Michael Boonstra told Judge Leo Burns that the plea agreement was fair to both his client and to the state.
Coulter agreed.
“The sentence is right,” he said.
Burns accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Sauceda to four years in the Indiana Department of Correction.
With credit for time served in jail and credit for good behavior, Sauceda could be out of prison in less than two years.
Two other people were arrested in connection with the counterfeiting operation.
In December, 21-year-old Jose Guillermo Mejia-Saucedo of West Lafayette learned he would be deported to Mexico after serving an 18-month sentence for a conviction of class D felony counterfeiting.
Alejandra Sauceda, 22, also faces forgery-related charges.
• Lindsey Ziliak is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or lindsey.ziliak@pharostribune.com.
Local News
Fake IDs land man in prison
Man admits selling documents to illegal immigrants
- Local News
-
-
Former LPD officer arrested, accused of theft
Former Logansport police officer Carlos Paul Leal was arrested Friday afternoon on two charges of theft, according to information obtained today by the Pharos-Tribune.
-
No jail for driver in fatal hit-and-run
A 25-year-old Logansport man admitted Thursday to leaving the scene of a deadly wreck last year, but he will not serve any time in jail as the result of a plea agreement.
-
Board backs 51 percent spike in utility rates
For Paul Hartman, the issue facing the Logansport Stormwater Management Board is pretty simple.
-
13-foot statue celebrating arts to stand in Logan
Logan’s Landing danced a little closer Thursday to sprucing up the downtown area and crafting the arts and design district it’s been longing to create.
-
Stormwater board OKs rate increase
The Logansport Stormwater Management Board this morning approved a 51 percent increase in its monthly rates.
-
LHS senior prank
As a senior prank, Logansport High School students moved the cow from in front of Happy Burger West to the Berry Bowl this morning. It was all in good fun, though. Bob Shanks, the owner of Happy Burger, was even on hand to pose for pictures.
-
‘It’s not about you’: Local mom shares journey of adopting foster children
Foster parenting isn’t always easy, says Juanita Jackson. Between caseworker visits and baby-sitting restrictions, the 42-year-old balances work and caring for five children as a single mom.
-
Longtime Lewis Cass teacher fired over license
Notwithstanding the impassioned pleas on Scott Rouch’s behalf, the Southeastern school board unanimously voted to cancel his teaching contract for “neglect of duty and other just causes.”
-
Jeremy Franklin charged with two felonies
A special prosecutor this week filed three charges, including two felony counts, against the son of the Logansport mayor.
-
Logan multiplex still in the works
Plans for a multiplex in Logansport are still in the works, but at least one city official hoped the process would move a bit quicker.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Former LPD officer arrested, accused of theft
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
