The Central Electoral Board (JCE), the government entity that manages the civil registry, is cracking down on ID fraud. The JCE reported the arrest of 12 Haitian nationals who were found to be in possession of fake Dominican identities. The Haitians were accused of obtaining false birth certificates, ID cards and passports. It is not unusual for Haitians to use forged Dominican identity. What is unusual is that legal action is taken against these.
The JCE reported that the arrests took place in the communities of Vicente Noble and Tamayo, Barahona province, in a coordinated work between the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Counterfeit Investigation Department of the National Police.
The arrest warrants were issued by María Consuelo Valenzuela Pérez, judge of the Permanent Attention Office of the Judicial District of Barahona.
The JCE says that the Security Department of the JCE carried out the intelligence and investigation work that led to the arrests for over four months ago with a team deployed in the Barahona to investigate and dismantle the structure that operated in that area to supply Haitians with forged identities.
The JCE Security Department says it continues to support the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the National Police in the investigation of others involved in the case in Bávaro, Distrito Nacional, La Romana, Santo Domingo, Yaguate, Baní, Ocoa and Barahona.
The JCE says the follow-up of these cases is part of the agreement with the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic for zero tolerance for crimes and infractions related to the Civil Registry.
The current management of the JCE has carried out five national operations to dismantle networks engaged in identity theft and falsification of documents. The operations have resulted in dozens of arrests and four convictions, two of five years and two of three years; of them three Haitian citizens and one Dominican citizen.
The JCE points out that impersonation is a crime punishable by sentences of between three and 10 years, following the provisions of Articles 147 and 148 of the Penal Code. Law 8-92 on Identity and Electoral Cards establishes sentences of between six months and two years of imprisonment for those who incur in retaining an identity card corresponding to another person, in articles 8 and 14.4.
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JCE
Diario Libre
Listin Diario
23 May 2022