GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man who has been twice deported from the U.S. will spend months behind bars after he was found guilty of creating and selling fake identity documents in the Grand Rapids area.
Edgidio Vasquez-Mencho was sentenced to six months in federal custody for conspiracy to transfer false identification documents. The Department of Justice said the 41-year-old was part of a group who made, advertised, and sold fake Social Security and permanent resident cards in West Michigan during 2024 and 2025. Vasquez-Mencho's role was primarily to transport the false documents to clients and collect payment, according to investigators.
This is the third time he was caught in the U.S. after entering the country illegally, said the justice department. The first time he voluntarily left the U.S.; the second time he was removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) back to his native country of Guatemala.
Once he finishes his time behind bars, Vasquez-Mencho will once again be taken to Guatemala.
“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," said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey. "Worse than that, once he got here, he operated an illegal document business that allowed others like him to illegally obtain employment and claim taxpayer-supported public services. This conduct must stop.”
Vasquez-Mencho is one of three people convicted in the conspiracy. Officials did not details the identities of the other people involved.
