May 21, 2004 – LAWFUEL – Marcos Daniel Jiménez, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Donald J. Balberchak, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, and Jesus Torres, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Miami, Florida, returned a multi-count Indictment against Gudiela Sibori, an employee of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The first count of the Indictment charges Sibori with accepting cash payments in exchange for providing forged Alien Documentation Identification Telecommunication (ADIT) stamps in the passports of illegal aliens who were ineligible to receive them, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 201(b)(2)(C). An ADIT stamp is placed in an alien’s passport at a port of entry or at a Citizenship and Immigration Services district office and serves as temporary proof of lawful permanent residence in the United States.
An ADIT stamp serves as authorization for employment and can be used by an alien to obtain official identification, such as driver’s license or Social Security card, and to gain entry into the United States. According to the Indictment and criminal complaint, Sibori, in March and April of 2004, accepted a total of $7,900.00 in cash in exchange for placing forged ADIT stamps in seven (7) passports provided by a government informant. If convicted on this charge, Sibori faces a maximum statutory penalty of fifteen (15) years’ imprisonment and a fine of at least $250,000.
The second and third counts of the Indictment charge Sibori with furnishing forged and altered passports that contained ADIT stamps to illegal aliens who were ineligible to receive them, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1543, and with misusing ADIT stamps, in violation of, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 1546(a), respectively. On each of these counts, Sibori, if convicted, faces a maximum statutory penalty of at least ten (10) years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
“Public corruption is an important priority for our Office,” said Mr. Jiménez. “The charges brought today make clear that no public official is exempt from the consequences of breaching the public’s trust. We also will tolerate no criminal activity that compromises national security.”
“There is one thing certain, if you are an employee of this organization and you engage in criminal activity, you will be caught – there is no place for you here,” said John M. Bulger, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Florida. “An employee who violates the public’s trust deserves to bear the full effect of the laws of this country.”
“ICE is committed to protecting our country, on all fronts, and that even includes protecting it from those in our own ranks that may dare to jeopardize our security. We will not tolerate this type of criminal behavior, for the sake of our homeland,” said Mr. Torres.
Mr. Jiménez commended the investigative efforts of the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michele Korver and Marvelle McIntyre-Hall.
