Authorities bust alleged fake ID operation

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Authorities searched a Gwinnett County home, on Gaston Court in Lawrenceville, that may be the production hub. Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh began working the story after receiving since a tip early Tuesday morning.

Department of Homeland Security officials said five people are in custody, but Kavanaugh is still tracking down all the names.

Officials said the suspects are connected to what they're calling a document mill, producing all sorts of fraudulent identification documents, from driver's licenses to Social Security cards.

Kavanaugh saw undercover agents hauling boxes of evidence out of the home on Tuesday. DHS along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations believe the unassuming home in a quiet residential neighborhood was the hub the so-called document mill.

An investigator at the scene told Channel 2 Action News that a computer was among the evidence seized. At the home, police arrested Jesus Olvera. He's in the Gwinnett County jail charged with false identification documents and forgery in the first degree.

A representative with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said several types of documents were produced in the home, including fake driver's licenses and Social Security numbers.

Investigators said meetings, or drops, would happen at the shopping plaza Centro Norcross on Buford Highway. In the parking lot, the suspects allegedly arranged for the swaps: fake IDs for cash.

Along with Olvera, Hector Fuentes was also held in connection with the document mill.
Homeland Security officials said the investigation continues and that all suspects will likely face federal charges as well.

The remains, where did the identities on the fake documents come from? The computer seized could help investigators answer that question.

Kavanaugh hopes to get more information from the search warrants and arrest warrants that were unsealed late Tuesday afternoon.

WSBTV