Seattle ICE Lawyer Accused of Stealing Immigrants' IDs to Defraud Banks

GETTY / wingedwolf

Federal authorities on Tuesday charged the chief counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle with stealing the identities of immigrants.

As first reported by the Associated Press, prosecutors charged attorney Raphael Sanchez with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for allegedly using the personal information of seven immigrants to defraud several national banks, according to charging documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. All seven victims were undergoing immigration proceedings.

The charging documents cite as evidence an energy bill, a permanent resident card and a biographical page of a Chinese passport.

Lori Haley, a spokesperson for ICE, declined to comment, directing The Stranger’s inquiries to the Department of Justice. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice did not answer calls from The Stranger.

Cassandra Stamm, an attorney representing Sanchez, also did not answer calls.