IMMIGRATION FRAUD CONVICTION

Marcos Daniel Jiménez , United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Jesus Torres, Special Agent in Charge, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Donald J. Balberchak, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General; Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce the conviction after a jury trial of Vivian Ciarrochi on charges of trafficking in immigration documents.

After a one-week trial, Ciarrochi was found guilty of all charges against her, including one count of conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, four counts of trafficking in EAD Cards, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1546(a), which carries a maximum penalty of ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000, and four counts of trafficking in identification documents issued by the United States, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028(a)(2), which carries a maximum penalty of fifteen years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.

Guerrero was employed by the Department of Homeland Security at the Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) Building (formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service), located at 7880 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami. Beginning in December 2002 and the present, Guerrero conspired with Raggio and Ciarochi to sell Employment Authorization Documents (or “EAD cards”) to illegal aliens for prices between $5,500 and $6,500. An EAD card is an identification document issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Service that is official evidence of an alien’s authorization to be work in the United States. As part of the conspiracy, aliens who were illegally in the United States were recruited by Ciarrochi and met at a restaurant near the CIS Building. The aliens were then taken to the CIS Building, where they were met by Guerrero and taken to the second floor, where they were processed for EAD cards to which they were not lawfully entitled.

Ciarrochi is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2004 at 9:00 am. Co-defendants Guerrero and Raggio pled guilty on March 9, 2004, and are awaiting sentencing on June 11, 2004.

Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney’s Curtis Miner and Marie Villafana.