A federal judge indicated Monday that a woman who manufactured and sold counterfeit Transportation Worker Identification Credentials, which enable unrestricted access to secure facilities within the ports and waterways of Los Angeles, will be sentenced to time served and four months of electronic monitoring.
Ivonne Adriana Sanchez, 51, of the Westlake area of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty in March to a single federal count of producing false identification documents.
U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder, who heard arguments from both sides Monday, delayed the conclusion of the sentencing hearing to Aug. 9 so prosecutors could file their objections to a probationary penalty.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Bettinelli argued for a year behind bars, but defense attorney Nadine Hettle pointed out that such a sentence could automatically trigger deportation proceedings against her client. Sanchez’s daughter and son made statements of support to the court.
Snyder said that mitigating factors in favor of a non-custodial sentence include time Sanchez spent in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Adelanto Detention Facility, strong family support and the defendant’s “extreme remorse.”
The judge added that she didn’t want to “do anything that exacerbates the defendant’s deportation factors.”
Sanchez helped produce and sell counterfeit TWICs, green cards and other forms of ID at Galaxi Photo, a now-defunct Westlake District document mill she ran. Hettle told the court that the illegal business was left to Sanchez by her ex-husband.
Bettinelli said that Sanchez has a prior felony conviction in state court for similar conduct.