Fake Green Cards Led Way to Paychecks

On Tuesday, 44 people were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver for using fake "green cards," in conjunction with other faked or false IDs, to get hired for work at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (CO).

The alleged scofflaws were snagged under a new program, where the Academy had state, federal, and local law enforcement have another look at workers' documentation; the workers had apparently been cleared by the previous trail-checkers, which were private.

The work these folks were doing was on behalf of other private contractors; none was an Air Force employee. Their jobs included some construction, as well as janitorial and landscape work.

Of the 44 indicted, 27 were arrested. They all face identical charges: using a false Social Security number, making false statements regarding eligibility for employment, and misuse of identification cards. If all the charges stick, and maximum sentences are imposed, each of the workers could go to a federal facility for nine years.

All 44 of the indicted workers were Latin American, according to an AP report.

FMI: www.af.mil