4 indicted in alleged check cashing scheme involving Dona Ana County Clerk’s Office

Four people have been indicted on several charges for allegedly being involved in a check cashing scam that included the Dona Ana County Clerk’s Office.

Maria Ceniceros, whom sheriff officials call the ringleader, was indicted on 113 counts of Identity Theft, three counts of Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Fraud,and three counts of Forgery, Conspiracy to Commit Forgery, Racketeering and Money Laundering.

If convicted on the charges, Maria Ceniceros faces up to 185 years in prison.

Armando Gutierrez-Torrez, from Ciuadad Juarez, Mexico, was indicted on charges of Conspiracy to Commit Theft of Identity, Conspiracy to Commit Forgery, Conspiracy to Commit Fraud, Racketeering and Money Laundering. If convicted Gutierrez-Torrez faces up to 14 years in prison.

Maria Ceniceros husband, Francisco Ceniceros, and their daughter, Denise Ceniceros, were each indicted on charges of Conspiracy and Racketeering for their role in the alleged crimes. If convicted, they both face 10 years in prison.

The remaining three, Nadia Martinez, Reena Rodriguez and Emilia Gomez, were co-workers with Maria Ceniceros in the Dona Ana County Clerk’s Office. Each allegedly falsely notarized documents and their cases are pending.

The 3rd Judicial District Court’s Office says the investigation revealed that Maria Ceniceros, a Document Technician in the clerk’s office, would allegedly garner social security numbers and other sensitive information from voter registration cards, deliver it to Torrez who would in turn have the “IRS” tax return checks printed in Mexico. Torrez then allegedly delivered those checks, some in the thousands of dollars, to Ceniceros who would then arrange for notarized documents with her signature to be completed in order to cash the falsified checks.

Investigators from the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office, the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Treasury Department, combined resources in the investigation which ultimately lead to the indictments. The cooperation between the Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office and the Third Judicial District Attorney’s Office marks the beginning of the newly created Public Corruption and White Collar Task Force.

All the defendants have pleaded not guilty and trial dates are pending.