A former Guilford county detention officer in North Carolina faces forgery charges in connection to ۲۰ alleged forged Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment documents, according to a Guilford county sheriff’s office (GCSO) news release.
Guilford county’s sheriff, Danny H Rogers, reported that on Friday the Guilford county magistrate’s office notified the GCSO of a potentially forged court document submitted by GCSO detention officer Michael Diehl, ۴۰.
“The document, entitled ‘Order After Receipt of ICE Detainer and Administrative Warrant’, an AOC-CR-۶۶۲ form, was associated with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer issued for inmate Claudio Nepornuceno,” the statement read.
“Upon review, the Magistrate’s Office and GCSO Detention staff determined that the document contained the allegedly forged signature of a different magistrate who didn’t process Nepornuceno’s initial arrest,” the statement added.
Under North Carolina law, when inmates are subject to an ICE detainer, they must see a magistrate with a copy of the ICE detainer. Afterwards, the magistrate can issue an AOC-CR-۶۶۲ form, which allows the detention center to hold the inmate for up to ۴۸ hours beyond the time they would otherwise be entitled to be released from custody. The ۴۸-hour window allows ICE an opportunity to take custody of the inmate.
However, the GCSO found that Nepornuceno was not presented before the magistrate with the detainer. Instead, the form containing the magistrate’s allegedly forged signature was submitted.
A further investigation into the GCSO’s jail booking records identified ۱۹ additional AOC-CR-۶۶۲ forms associated with ۱۹ additional inmates that contained allegedly forged signatures of magistrates.
The investigation found that in each of these ۲۰ cases, ICE had issued a detainer based on evidence that the inmate who was the subject of the detainer was in violation of US immigration law.
During the GCSO’s criminal investigation into the matter, Diehl’s employment with the sheriff’s office was terminated.
And as a result of the investigation, Diehl was arrested and charged with ۲۰ counts of felony common law forgery.
He received a $۵,۰۰۰ secured bond and has since been released from custody.
The investigation remains ongoing and additional charges may follow.
The investigation into Diehl comes as the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown continues across the country.
Since Trump’s inauguration, a record number of individuals – more than ۷۰,۰۰۰ – have been detained by ICE.
