A Mexican national couple has been sentenced for their involvement in producing and selling thousands of counterfeit identification documents to clients across the United States, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Karina Garcia-Salazar, 47, for conspiracy charges related to transferring and possessing identification documents with intent to use or transfer five or more documents. The court ordered a term of imprisonment followed by supervised release.
Her co-defendant, Jorge Augusto Prieto-Gamboa, 41, received his sentence in December 2025 for conspiracy to possess five or more documents with intent to transfer. He was ordered to serve 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.
From August 2020 until their arrest in February 2025, Garcia-Salazar and Prieto-Gamboa collaborated on creating thousands of fake immigration documents. Law enforcement records indicate that agents conducted several controlled purchases during which they confirmed the pair sold false identification cards and Social Security cards together.
A search warrant executed at their Tulsa residence resulted in the discovery of at least 67 completed counterfeit documents and several electronic devices. Examination of these devices revealed over 2,000 different types of forged identification, including Social Security cards, permanent resident cards, driver’s licenses from various states, foreign IDs, and passports. Agents also found digital communications with clients containing personal information used to produce the fraudulent IDs as well as evidence showing completed transactions sent through mail nationwide.
Financial records indicated that Garcia-Salazar opened a local checking account using a fake Mexican passport instead of her permanent resident card. Both defendants made cash deposits and peer-to-peer transactions reflecting charges between $120 and $150 per counterfeit card. Authorities also found the false passport used by Garcia-Salazar along with over $32,000 in cash during the search.
During the investigation, agents confirmed that one counterfeit ID produced by the couple was sold to another defendant who later admitted smuggling methamphetamine and black tar heroin into the United States after being charged separately in the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Court filings state that Garcia-Salazar obtained legal permanent residency while Prieto-Gamboa entered the U.S. unlawfully in 2002. Both remain in custody pending transfer to federal prison facilities.
Homeland Security Investigations led this case; Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Greenough prosecuted it.
The prosecution was part of Operation Take Back America under direction from President Trump’s Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The Dallas Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), comprising joint efforts between Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security personnel, led this operation aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations nationwide.
