Fake OSHA Card Reveals Vast Criminal ID Scheme

NEW YORK — A Mamaroneck man was among those arrested after a fake OSHA card presented by a construction worker on the Javits Center expansion project uncovered a multi-stage criminal operation, the New York Inspector General announced on Monday.

Michael Kruise Williams, 30, of Mamaroneck, was charged with conspiracy to commit fraud relating to identification documents, production of false identification documents, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Pedro Vasquez, 28, of the Bronx, was arraigned Monday on conspiracy to commit fraud relating to identification documents and one count of transfer of false identification documents.

"Workers on major construction projects are required to have proper training and OSHA certification in order to ensure worksites are safe for everyone," Inspector General Lucy Lang said, announcing the charges on Monday. "Our office uncovered a scheme to provide fake credentials to circumvent these critical safeguards, which led to a widespread fake ID operation. Thanks to the work of our office and multiple partners, we have shut down this fraudulent act. Meanwhile, we will continue to provide critical oversight of state infrastructure projects to identify and resolve any issues that may jeopardize safety and integrity."

In March, a private compliance and risk monitoring firm for the Javits Center expansion project informed the Inspector General’s Office that a worker presented a fake Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) card purporting to certify that the individual had completed a safety course.

While the card had the appearance of a valid credential, the Inspector General’s Office reviewed an OSHA database and learned that the card was fake. The Inspector General’s Office began an investigation and found that the worker obtained the fake OSHA card from Vasquez and paid him via Cash App, according to the charges.

"As alleged, Williams and Vasquez were involved in a lucrative criminal enterprise of stealing people’s identities and selling fraudulent identification documents including driver’s licenses, social security cards, and OSHA safety cards, and solicited customers by brazenly posting their illicit sales on social media platforms,” Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said. “HSI and its partners will continue to seek out and bring to justice individuals that attempt to turn a profit by selling fake documents that can compromise the health and safety of those working at a job site or allow the bearer to illegally represent themselves by compromising the integrity of government identification documents.”

The Inspector General’s investigation found Williams produced fake driver licenses, social security cards and OSHA cards at an office in Norwalk, Connecticut using an ID printer and holograms purchased from China. Vasquez then advertised the fake documents on the internet and sold them for thousands of dollars in, among other places, the Bronx.

In October 2019, an investigator with the Inspector General’s Office texted Vasquez purporting to need an OSHA card. Vasquez agreed to provide the false OSHA credential, requested the investigator’s full name and date of birth and arranged a time and place to meet. An undercover investigator then met Vasquez in the Bronx and purchased the fake OSHA card for $150.

Over the course of the next several months, the undercover investigator made additional purchases of fake identification from Vasquez, including additional OSHA cards, social security identification cards and driver licenses from several states. The Inspector General’s Office and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey captured surveillance – including audio and video – of each transaction.

The Inspector General’s investigation found multiple Facebook posts by Vasquez advertising the sale of fake documents. In one post, dated January 4, 2017, Vasquez wrote, “I GOT EM OSHA POPPIN WHATS THE WORD.” On March 19, 2019, Vasquez posted “Osha cards same day process n scaffold lets go SHARE THIS PLZ OR TAG FRIENDS.”

A review of Vasquez’s Cash App account found multiple payments from individuals seeking false documents, as well as payments to Williams totaling approximately $61,000.

The investigation found that Williams purchased several items, including an ID printer and blank ID cards from a Florida-based company. Williams also sent approximately $115 via PayPal to a recipient in China with the transaction note reading “20 New Jersey, 10 Florida, 10 Connecticut, 10 PA.” He sent additional payments to the same recipient for holograms for identification cards.

In July 2020, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information from Customs and Border Protection officers at the JFK Mail Facility regarding the seizure of a package intended for Williams containing laminates with holograms resembling those used on driver licenses in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Florida.

"These arrests are the result of the thorough multi-agency investigative work required to take down these types of fraudulent schemes, which ultimately jeopardize worker site safety due to greed," Port Authority Inspector General John Gay said. "The Port Authority is proud to be a partner in this effort and we remain committed to ensuring the safety of all throughout our region."

In February 2021, agents from the Inspector General’s Office, HSI and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executed search warrants of Williams’ residence and office, where they recovered several items, including credit cards in multiple individuals’ names, an ID card printer, more than 1,000 holograms from various states, approximately 3,000 blank ID cards, approximately 11 packages of laminate sleeves, three fake Social Security cards, more than 100 fake ID cards, several dozen fake OSHA cards, and a U.S. passport in another person’s name.

In chat messages stored on a hard drive seized from Williams’ residence via search warrant, Williams wrote to another person:

• “I bought the holograms too from China,”
• “I know it serious[,] But I don’t promote to nobody[,]”
• “Only deep criminals”[,]
• “Just got the lastest [sic] templates,”
• “Also offer Birth Certificates … Employee ID’s … Credit Cards … Employment Authorization Card … NYPD Card … US Passport.”
• “Got the holograms today by the way … I got 5 states for now … 10 EACH FOR THESE FOLLOWING STATES[:] NJ[,] CA[,] TX[,] FL.”
• “Busy doing the orders I had for the ID’s …. Bro I had tons of orders before[e] the id printer came. I was nervous cuz I took a lot of ppl money.”