Two women from New York have been sentenced to federal prison for running a counterfeit passport operation in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced on April 7.
Ciera Julieth Blas, 32, of Brooklyn, received a sentence of 120 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant handed down the sentence on April 7. Kelly Josek, 41, of New York City, also pleaded guilty to the same charges and was sentenced by Judge Mazzant to 90 months in January.
Court records show that Flower Mound Police stopped a vehicle driven by Blas with Josek as a passenger. Officers found seven U.S. Passport Identification Cards and matching bank cards linked to names on those passports during the stop. The case was referred to the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), which determined that Blas and Josek used personal information from over eighty individuals and passport-style photos from twelve people to create fake passport cards with their own names and images.
“This case highlights the significant work of local law enforcement in protecting our communities, and our nation every day,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “In this case, a routine traffic stop was anything but routine. Counterfeit passport cards, and other identifying documents, enable all types of crime from fraud to terrorism. We take these crimes very seriously and we appreciate the Court sentencing Blas to the statutory maximum sentence of ten years imprisonment and Josek to over seven years.”
Ryan Pack, Special Agent in Charge at DSS Houston Field Office said: “Today’s sentencing is very welcome and the positive result of several years of unceasing investigative work by the DSS Resident Office in Dallas… The significance of the penalty clearly demonstrates how seriously fraud involving the use of counterfeit U.S. passport cards and other official government documents is taken.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including DSS, Flower Mound Police Department, and U.S. Secret Service as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration as well as transnational criminal organizations.
