I guess I’m naive, but I have to marvel at the rates charged by Cornelio Portuguez Alvarez and Vincente Munoz Trujillo for their services:
In January, Alvarez offered to obtain for one officer a Social Security card, birth certificate, proof of insurance and North Carolina driver’s license for $3,500, according to the indictment.
In March, that agent first gave Alvarez $300, then the remaining $3,200, according to the indictment. A second agent paid Torres-Ulloa $3,300 in cash for similar services, the indictment said.
Each agent was given a piece of paper with fake names and Social Security numbers, according to the indictment.
Seems like a lot of money to me. I guess we don’t realizie the amount of legwork involved in producing fake documentation. It’s evidently also a high-risk service. Good.