Police say Port Fourchon workers faked ID cards

HoumaToday ^ | Feb. 13, 2009 | Kathrine Schmidt

[AuntB]

LEEVILLE — Port Fourchon Harbor Police say they arrested two workers from a marine-contracting company for attempting to use fake port identification cards.

Ernesto L. Cordova, 25, 173 E. 69th Place, Cut Off, and Roosevelt E. Amores, 32, for whom police do not have an address, were charged with illegal entry into critical infrastructure, a federal offense, as well as holding invalid driver licenses.

The two men are also suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.

The incident, reported last week, comes less than a month after workers in the region’s shore-side areas were required to carry Transportation Worker Identification Credentials.

The TWIC is a special uniform ID issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration.

Billed as high-tech and tamper-proof, the TWIC is part of an effort to tighten security and better track the flow of people around the nation’s ports.

Harbor Police Chief Jon Callais said that on Feb. 5, a Southern Guard company employee was examining two workers’ TWICs at a port checkpoint when the cards looked suspicious.

“The guard, through our training, noticed the TWIC card didn’t look quite right,” Callais said. (The employee) “delayed them from entering and called the harbor police to investigate.”

Some misspelled words and other problems with the cards clued officers that they were fake.

“It was a pretty good duplication,” Callais said. “Only with the trained eye would you see there were some differences between that and a regular TWIC.”

The men were detained by the police, who called the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Cut Off, then turned them over to the federal authorities.

According to police, the men were working for Danos and Curole, an offshore-service company.

A call to the company office Thursday was not returned.

Customs spokeswoman Virginia Dabbs said an investigation is ongoing and would not comment.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Temple Black could not be reached.

Neither agency would comment on the detainees’ immigration status.

“If you’re not legal in our country, the process for gaining a TWIC is almost impossible,” Callais said. “It’s pretty obvious that they were, otherwise they would have gotten a TWIC card legally.”

Callais said it was the first case of TWIC fraud he had heard of in the area.

Transportation Security Administration spokesman Jon Allen said it was the first instance he had heard of in the Southeast, the region he oversees.

Callais said his officers will be on the lookout for other fakes.

“We’re contacting companies, and the guard company and asking them to be extra-vigilant,” Callais said.

[keving]

NEWSFLASH: People are looking at ID’s

[Hodar]

Some misspelled words and other problems ...

Note to self: When committing a felony by forging fraudlent papers - use a Spell Checker.

[Ken522]

Ernesto L. Cordova, 25, 173 E. 69th Place, Cut Off,

Where's "Cut Off?" At least what's the zip code there?

[AuntB]

More news from our retired border agents today:

Border Patrol helicopter crashes at San Onofre-CA

http://tinyurl.com/b6thsh
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Border agents shoot suspected drug smuggler in N.M.

http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1089007
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rookie Border Patrol Detector Dog Makes Big First Impression-CA

http://tinyurl.com/cz9kna
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Heroin, Cocaine, Meth Seized at San Ysidro Port of Entry-CA

http://tinyurl.com/bpsou6
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Big rig with 1,000 pounds of pot stopped near New River-AZ

http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1089012
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nearly a ton of marijuana found in truck near Ajo-AZ

http://news.ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1089159
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Tucson man dies during scuffle with Border Patrol

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/280906.php
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joint Effort by ICE and U.S. Marshalls Service agents leads to apprehension of two foreign murder suspects

http://www.fedagent.com/current_e-report.php#450
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Narcotics team arrest 79-year-old suspected heroin dealer-CA

http://tinyurl.com/bsva66
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Border Patrol: Woman arrested with drugs in car tires-CA

http://tinyurl.com/dbhhoq
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
M3 Rpt: Running gun battle in the streets of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico!

http://tinyurl.com/d2423k
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Sex disease, murders on rise in city-NYPD

http://tinyurl.com/an8h3f
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Student faces expulsion for fake drill team guns-CO
-school’s e-mail (be nice):rmcintire@cherrycreekschools.org

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=109380
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Police say Louisiana port workers faked ID cards

http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20090213/ARTICLES/902139904
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
NationalTerrorAlert.org Prepared communities Network
-Although this site won’t launch officially until March 2nd, you’re welcome
to sign up now and get a head start

http://www.nationalterroralert.org

[AuntB]

“Where’s “Cut Off?” At least what’s the zip code there?”

Not sure what you’re asking...do you want me to look up a zip code?

[bgill]

Allen said it was the first instance he had heard of

Perhaps he should be looking a bit harder.

[ApplegateRanch]

70345; about 50 miles WSW NOLA.

[fishergirl]

Cut Off - Lorena Bobbit’s hometown (just kidding)! Gee, I wonder if John Wayne Bobbit was from Dry Prong, La.

[Cindy]

Thanks for the ping Aunt B.

I’m glad the Border Patrol Agent who was hit is ok.

[HiJinx]

Belated Ping...