A Venezuelan national is in hot water with U.S. law enforcement after being nabbed in El Paso on charges of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. The suspect, Alcides Jose Urrivari-Arape, found himself the focus of federal attention after an encounter with an El Paso County Sherriff’s Office deputy on Feb. 24, following which he allegedly presented a fake U.S. Social Security card to a U.S. Border Patrol agent when asked for identification.
Caught up in a legal bind, Urrivari-Arape admitted, according to court documents, to having shelled out $690 for the counterfeit document that he claimed allowed him to reside in the U.S. legally. If the allegations hold water in court, he could face up to a decade in federal prison. The onus is now on a federal district court judge to mete out a sentence, who will take into consideration that the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, are presumed innocent until proven guilty, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Margaret Leachman, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, was the one to announce the bust, with the investigation falling under the auspices of the U.S. Border Patrol and El Paso County Sherriff’s Office. The legal proceedings are slated to be steered by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Wang.
