Elias Munoz, 63, father of Chicago Ald. Ricardo Munoz 22nd ward faces prison and deportation to Mexico after pleading guilty to conspiracy to sell fake id's as the owner of Nuevo Foto Munoz since 1992, a photo studio in Little Village Discount Mall prosecutors said. Elias Munoz admitted to U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer that he knew photos taken at his shop were used for bogus driver's licenses, Social Security cards and resident alien cards.
Assistant U.S. Atty. Michelle Nasser Weiss told the judge that Munoz made $300 in cash a day as part of the scheme. Hawkers would summon potential customers off the street at the shopping area, Weiss said. "It all depended on what the customer wanted," Munoz said through an interpreter. "It was a business."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief Julie Myers said "We've found some fake id rings that kind of operate like franchises like McDonald's, where they sell franchises off to others in certain areas of the country," she said. "We want to make sure that we're targeting the most sophisticated individuals and that we're putting them out of business." The business was raided in spring 2007 by gun-wielding agents in a move that spurred protests in the community just days before a large Immigration march was scheduled.
source chicago tribune
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