Two Honduran brothers working at the Prestage Farms Inc. plant in Garland are accused of being in the country illegally and using stolen identities to gain employment.
A federal grand jury in Raleigh returned indictments this week against Jose Noel Izaguirre-Inestroza, 42, and Wilson Abad Inestroza, 37, according to a release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The two are charged with false representation of a Social Security number, false representation of U.S. citizenship with intent to engage unlawfully in employment in the U.S., aggravated identity theft and illegal re-entry of a deported alien.
In December, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Homeland Security Investigations Office in Raleigh after receiving a call from a man identified as C.P.B. in an affidavit for a federal arrest warrant. He told Sampson County investigators he had filed taxes using his Social Security number in January 2017 and the person was continuing to work in North Carolina.
Investigators discovered a man using C.P.B.’s information was working at Prestage Farms.
About two weeks ago, on Jan. 16, Homeland Security investigators and a Sheriff’s Office representative went to the Garland plant, asking about C.P.B, who was brought to an office to speak with agents, the affidavit said. When asked his name and place of birth, the man said his name was C.B. and he was a native of Honduras.
The second time he was asked his name, he admitted to being Izaguirre-Inestroza.
When asked for proof, he told them a Honduran identification card was in his wallet which was in Inestroza’s car parked outside.
Agents, suspecting that Inestroza was using a stolen identity, had him brought to the office where, when asked his name, he replied E.M., the affidavit said. When asked again, Inestroza gave them his real name.
Upon checking immigration records, investigators discovered the brothers had previously entered the country illegally and were deported back to Honduras.
But the brothers again entered the country illegally — Inestroza in 2005 and Izaguirre-Inestroza in 2016.
In April 2016, after his arrest, Izaguirre-Inestroza was released from custody and placed on supervision, the affidavit said. He was to be monitored by GPS and told to report to immigration officials in Charlotte 10 days later.
When he failed to show up, he was declared a fugitive, the affidavit said.
Inestroza admitted to having been arrested for driving while impaired in April 2011 in Sampson County using the name Rodolfo Antonio Quintanilla.
A records check showed that he was convicted and sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation. He was ordered to perform community service, but failed to comply, the affidavit said.
If convicted, they could be sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by supervised release, and fined up to $250,000.
Nancy McCleary can be reached at nmccleary@fayobserver.com or 486-3568.