(Sioux City)– Seven people have been indicted and charged with federal felonies for possessing and using false documents for allegedly trying to pass fraudulent and counterfeit checks at banks in the Hartley area last month.
They are 22-year-old Gelacio Cortez-Sanchez; 27-year-old Jeronimo Hernandez Rodriguez; 23-year-old Paulina Hernandez-Suazo; 37-year-old Jose Gabino Ortiz Ihuit; 28-year-old Rodrigo Juarez-Bassco; 22-year-old Remigio Suarez-Ortiz and 23-year-old Jose Vargas-Velez.
All face up to 10 years in jail if convicted.
They’re among 14 people that have been charged locally in the counterfeit check case.
Also charged for illegally re-entering the U-S after they were deported were 39-year-old Salvado Gonzales-Mejia and 31-year-old Jorge Eduardo Pablo-Lepe. They face anywhere from two years to 20 years in jail if convicted.
Gonzalez-Mejia and Pablo-Lepe are still in custody of the state of Iowa pending prosecutions by the O’Brien County Attorney. They’ll be turned over to U-S marshals for federal prosecution once their state prosecutions are complete.
The seven individuals charged with possession and use of false immigration documents appeared in federal court September 25th for arraignments. They’re being detained without bond by the Bureau of Immigration. Customs Enforcement has filed detainers on them pending further deportation hearings.
