NEWS RELEASE
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Mexican national illegally present in the United States and residing in Louisville, Kentucky, was charged this week, by a federal grand jury, with possessing and using counterfeit documents for purposes of obtaining employment announced United Statets Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.
Juan Carlos Ortega-Santos, 26, was charged with four immigration fraud related counts: Counts 1-2: Use of a False Document for Purposes of Obtaining Employment, Count 3: Possession of a Counterfeit Alien Registration Card, and Count 4: Possession of a Counterfeit Social Security Card.
This case arose when Ortega-Santos was arrested on June 22, 2016 for driving a vehicle under the influence and killing two juveniles on Taylorsville Road. Ortega-Santos was later charged with murder, assault, wanton endangerment, operating a motor vehicle under the influence, driving without a license, and failure to maintain insurance. Soon after his arrest, it was learned that Ortega-Santos was a Mexican national illegally present in the United States.
Upon learning of Ortega-Santos’ illegal immigration status in the United States, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office began investigating Ortega-Santos and found that he had used counterfeit documents to obtain employment in Louisville, Kentucky. Ortega-Santos currently has an ICE detainer which will hold him if he were to be released from state or federal custody.
If convicted, Ortega-Santos faces maximum potential penalties of no more than 10 years in prison for counts 1-2; and no more than 5 years in prison for counts 3-4.
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel P. Kinnicutt is prosecuting the case. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the investigation.