Federal agents are making arrests in New Hampshire and four other U.S. states as well as Puerto Rico in a crackdown on the use of stolen Puerto Rican identities by illegal immigrants and in financial crimes.Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents have warrants for 21 people on charges that include money laundering, fraud and production of false documents. Angel Melendez of the agency's Office of Homeland Security Investigations says half the suspects are in custody after a series of arrests early Friday and the rest are being sought.
Melendez says the group stole the identities of at least 500 people from Puerto Rico. Many were used by illegal immigrants from the nearby Dominican Republic to reach the U.S. Besides New Hampshire, the states where suspects live are Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
