Federal agents in Kentucky say they cracked open a years-long identity fraud operation at a single business in Paducah.
ICE announced that Homeland Security Investigations and federal partners arrested 13 illegal aliens during a two-day operation in May.
Eight of them have now been indicted for using stolen Social Security numbers to land their jobs.
The Department of Homeland Security amplified the case on June 19, putting the enforcement win front and center.
FRAUD CRACKDOWN.@HSI_Nashville has ARRESTED 13 illegal aliens for using stolen Social Security numbers to work in Kentucky.
Eight of the illegal aliens have been indicted for using the stolen numbers.
Behind every stolen social security number uncovered these operations is a… https://t.co/LsXKnPejuB pic.twitter.com/Es1IqnpVzJ
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 19, 2026
The ICE release lays out the details under the headline of a fraud crackdown, including the operation dates, the workplace, the alleged method, the criminal charges, and the immigration custody track.
HSI Bowling Green and federal partners made the arrests in McCracken County during an operation that ran May 21 and May 22. ICE said 13 illegal aliens were arrested in that operation.
The target was a window supply business in Paducah where investigators say the fraud had been baked into the hiring process for years, not a one-day paperwork mistake.
According to ICE, the investigation found that between June 2021 and August 2025, eight illegal aliens used Social Security numbers belonging to real U.S. citizens to complete their employment eligibility forms and secure jobs.
ICE said the people arrested but not criminally charged will remain in ICE custody while removal proceedings and potential deportation move forward.
The Form I-9 is supposed to confirm that a worker is who they say they are and is legally allowed to work. ICE says these defendants used stolen numbers to clear that step and secure the jobs anyway.
That is the part that often gets lost in the headlines. Every stolen number traces back to an actual citizen whose identity was put to work without their knowledge.
ICE named the eight indicted defendants as Daniel Martinez Cruz, Manuel Martinez Garcia, Joel Gomez, Juan Pastor Gonzalez, Julio Venture Hernandez, Marcelina Juarez-Vicente, Ricardo Lopez, and Ana Osorio Louzado.
The agency identified them as citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, or Spain. Each faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
NEW: ICE has arrested 8 illegal aliens who were allegedly all using stolen Social Security Numbers while working at a single window supply business in Paducah, KY. 13 illegal aliens arrested in total at the biz, 8 of them now indicted for using the stolen SSNs and will face up to… pic.twitter.com/8DvTcg5ezw
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) June 19, 2026
Reporter Bill Melugin flagged the same numbers on June 19, noting that all 13 were arrested at the one business and that eight now face charges over the stolen Social Security numbers.
The five arrested without criminal charges will stay in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and potential deportation.
ICE said the case is being investigated by HSI, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General.
All charges remain allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in court.
What ICE describes is the everyday machinery of illegal employment finally getting pulled apart, one business and one stolen number at a time.
What are your thoughts?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
