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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2019
Forgery operation produced over 10,000 fake documents
A secret factory in a
Woodburn apartment
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
SALEM — Located in an apart-
ment in a primarily Hispanic town,
a clandestine lab churned out
thousands of fake Social Security
cards, drivers’ licenses and immi-
gration documents that were sold
around the United States for years.
The operation, revealed for the
fi rst time Tuesday in a federal court
document, showed that a syndicate
based in Oaxaca, Mexico, oper-
ated the forged-document factory
in Woodburn, a town of 24,000 in
an agricultural region a half-hour’s
drive from Portland.
Employers, including farms,
nurseries and wineries, routinely
employ people who are in the
United States illegally but who
can produce a Social Security card
or work visa. Many agricultural
employers say it’s not their respon-
sibility — and that they lack the
expertise — to determine if the
documents are genuine.
The arrest on Sept. 21, 2017,
of Miguel Merecias-Lopez in a
fast-food restaurant parking lot
in Woodburn reveals how, in
many cases, such documents are
produced.
Merecias-Lopez pleaded guilty
Tuesday in federal court in Port-
land to conspiracy to produce false
identifi cation documents and pos-
session with intent to distribute
methamphetamine. He had gone
to the parking lot to sell more than
a kilogram — or 2.2 pounds — of
meth, prosecutors said.
Homeland Security Investi-
gations had already been look-
ing at the syndicate they called the
“Fraud Doc Ring” before the arrest,
said Kevin Sonoff, spokesman for
the United States Attorney’s Offi ce
in Portland. After Merecias-Lopez
was arrested, investigators went to
his apartment and found comput-
ers, scanners, laminators, cameras
and a high-resolution printer.
“The fraud ring operated in
Woodburn for more than a decade
and produced over 10,000 fraud-
ulent documents that they distrib-
uted in Woodburn or mailed to cus-
tomers around the United States,”
U.S. Attorney Billy Williams and
Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Sax
said in the plea agreement posted
Tuesday in court documents.
AP Photo/Andrew Selsky
A man from Woodburn has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce false documents after agents found a document-forging lab in his apartment.
Woodburn from Oaxaca in Janu-
ary 2017, long after the fraud ring
began operating. He is responsi-
ble for creating at least 300 fraud-
ulent U.S. government documents,
according to the plea agreement.
Government prosecutors and
Walker are jointly recommend-
ing a low sentence. For the false
documents conviction, he faces a
maximum 15 years in prison and
$250,000 fi ne. The drug conviction
carries a maximum sentence of life
in prison with a 10 year mandatory
minimum sentence and a $10 mil-
lion fi ne.
Sonoff said no other arrests
have been made and that the cur-
rent criminal inquiry focuses only
on Merecias-Lopez and his co-con-
spirators, not on their customers.
Sentencing is scheduled for
June 18.
‘THE FRAUD RING OPERATED IN WOODBURN FOR MORE THAN A
DECADE AND PRODUCED OVER 10,000 FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS.’
U.S. Attorney Billy Williams and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Sax
Previous detailed court docu-
ments remain under seal.
The Fraud Doc Ring communi-
cated with customers using Face-
book, email, Snapchat and in per-
son, the plea deal states. Customers
emailed, texted or mailed the ring
digital passport-style photos for
insertion into the fake ID cards, or
visited a clandestine photography
lab in Woodburn where their pho-
tos were taken, the plea agreement
says. Customers paid electroni-
cally through PayPal, through the
mail or in person.
In the apartment, agents found
dozens of security images and
seals used in legitimate identifi ca-
tion documents. They also found
stored digital photos of more than
4,000 customers.
The Fraud Doc Ring produced
a wide array of documents, includ-
ing drivers’ licenses for over 25
different states, Social Security
cards, lawful permanent resident
cards, U.S. and Mexican birth cer-
tifi cates and marriage licenses.
There is a huge market for such
documents. Immigrants working
illegally in this country accounted
for about 46 percent of America’s
roughly 800,000 crop farmwork-
ers in recent years, according to an
Associated Press analysis of data
from the the U.S. Department of
Labor and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. Many more work in
the nation’s hospitality, service and
construction industries.
Merecias-Lopez’s
attorney,
Brian Walker, did not immedi-
ately respond to emailed and
phone messages requesting com-
ment. Merecias-Lopez said in his
petition to plead guilty that he
has a 10th-grade education, and
that he understands that convic-
tion can lead to imprisonment and
deportation.
Merecias-Lopez, 24, moved to
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157 Events
The Sharpening Doc will be
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Saturday 3/9/19 10-12
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181 Lost & Found
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201 Antique &
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27th Annual
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Go.
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504 Homes for Sale
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616 Rooms &
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651 Help Wanted
Buyer/Lead Clerk-Bookstore:
Half-time position. View job
description/qualifications and
apply on-line at our web site
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human-resources/.
This position is open until filled
with first review of applications
on March 15, 2019. Call the
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assistance is needed. AA/EOE
Full-Time Employment
Detail oriented, friendly Cook
that can work independently
for Italian Bistro. $16-$18 hr.
DOE Seaside, OR. (503)739-
2672 shchef@hotmail.com
NOW HIRING
All positions for
new Warrenton restaurant
opening in late March.
Competitive pay, benefits,
meal discounts, flexible
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jobatwendys.com
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and Lounge is looking for a
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Leave the city lights and
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738-2607 or apply in person
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651 Help Wanted
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Project Coordinator,
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Education (.75 FTE):
¾ time position, grant-funded
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filled with first review of
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2019. Call the Office of
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AA/EOE
Full-Time Employment
Receptionist needed for
busy medical office, 8-5pm
Monday-Friday Experience
preferred. Send resume to
Attn Jeanne
2120 Exchange St Suite
200 Astoria, Oregon.
(503)325-5360
Bill’s Tavern & Brewhouse
has an opening for a full-time
line cook. We are a high
volume, fast-paced brewpub
and the potential candidate
should have prior experience
and be cooperative and
self-motivated. Good starting
wage with advancement
opportunity, health
benefits, paid time off, and
bonuses. Please call or
apply in person at 188 N.
Hemlock St. Cannon Beach,
OR. (503) 436-2202
billstavern@gmail.com
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651 Help Wanted
Hiring The
Following Positions
• Landscape maintenance
personnel. Drivers license
required.
• Landscape construction/
irrigation personnel
Contact (503)739-0984 for
application and more
information.
McCall Tire Center
Immediate Openings
Full-Time
Brake/Alignment Techs
Min. 2 yrs. verifiable
experience
Sales & Service Techs
Experience preferred
but not required
Starting wage DOE
Generous benefits
Medical, Dental, Vision,
401K, Vacation, Sick Pay,
Profit Share
Uniforms provided
Apply in person
1167 SE Marlin Ave
Warrenton
Clatsop Community
College is hiring for the
following positions:
Director of Nursing and
Allied Health: Full-time po-
sition. Applications must be
completed by April 5, 2019 to
be considered.
Instructor, Business Man-
agement and Accounting:
Full-time position beginning
mid-September 2019. Appli-
cations must be completed by
April 2, 2019 to be considered.
PT Temporary Admissions/
Recruitment
Assistant:
Part-time, temporary position.
This position is open until
filled.
View job descriptions/
qualifications and apply
on-line at www.clatsopcc.edu.
Contact the Office of Human
Resources at (503)338-2406
if application assistance is
needed. AA/EOE
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