Document counterfeiter from Norristown draws federal prison term

PHILADELPHIA >> A Norristown man is headed to federal prison for producing unlawful and counterfeit federal documents, including Social Security Administration and alien registration cards.

Danial Gomez-Velazquillo, 34, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia to two years and three months in prison and three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to six counts of unlawful production of identification documents, six counts of sale of Social Security cards and five counts of sale of alien registration cards.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick. An exact address for Gomez-Velazquillo was not available from federal officials.

According to federal court documents, Gomez-Velazquillo was a mass producer of high-quality counterfeit documents, including social security cards and alien registration documents, so much so that he earned the nickname, “Photo Guy.” Evidence gathered during the investigation of the case indicated that Gomez-Velazquillo produced more than 7,000 separate identification documents.

With the charges, federal prosecutors alleged Gomez-Velazquillo utilized the social security numbers of five living victims and one deceased victim during the scheme.

“When we prosecute a fraudster for stealing personal identification information, we recognize that each nine-digit social security number is an American citizen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams.

“Social security cards and other identification documents have become critical in modern society to confirm individuals’ identities for a wide range of purposes, and those who commit these offenses can cause lifelong harm to the victims. We will continue to prioritize aggressive prosecution of these cases,” Williams added.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General.

“Homeland Security Investigations has been at the forefront of investigating fraud schemes,” said Brian A. Michael, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations Philadelphia. “Together with our law enforcement partners we remain steadfast in our pursuit to safeguard the public and hold accountable fraudsters like the defendant, who profit from the production of unlawful and counterfeit federal documents.”

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Curran prosecuted the case.