Ex-ICE chief lawyer gets four years for identity theft

SEATTLE — A former chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison for stealing the identities of people facing deportation and using them to run up bills totalling $190,000 US.

Raphael Sanchez, 44, resigned when he was charged in the fouryear scheme in February. He had overseen deportation proceedings in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington since 2011 as the agency’s top lawyer in the region.

“Sanchez was entrusted with significant authority to represent the United States in crucial immigration proceedings that deeply shaped the lives of many,” lawyers Luke Cass and Jessica Harvey, of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, wrote in a sentencing memo to the court. “Sanchez abandoned the principles he swore to uphold and used his authority merely as a vehicle for personal profit.”

As part of a deal in which Sanchez pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors and Sanchez’s lawyer, Cassandra Stamm, agreed to recommend a fouryear prison term.

U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik accepted that recommendation, noting the “shocking exploitation” Sanchez committed and the speed with which he accepted responsibility, volunteering to begin serving his time even before he was sentenced.

In an interview with court officials prior to his sentencing, Sanchez, who was due to make $162,000 this year, said he struggled with money troubles, depression, fatigue and a failed relationship before launching into his scheme.

He apologized for his crimes Thursday and told the judge he’s relieved to be in custody: “The stress is gone,” he said.