Eight individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to immigration and identity theft after being detained at a Canton manufacturing facility on August 6, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio reports. Four of those charged had previously been removed from the United States but were found in Ohio without proper authorization for reentry from federal officials.
The defendants, hailing from Guatemala and El Salvador, face multiple charges including Illegal Reentry of Removed Alien, False Claim to U.S. Citizenship to Engage Unlawfully in Employment, Misuse of Social Security numbers, and Aggravated Identity Theft, the indictments were spearheaded by the the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leading up to the court documents being filed and their arrests. Assistant United States Attorney Kristen Rolph is overseeing the prosecution of these cases.
“These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” underscored the indictment announcement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Each charge carries a potential of several years of imprisonment, fines, or both, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
