CANDOR – ALE agents have charged Cecil Paul Saffle with manufacturing and selling fake resident alien cards, social security cards and other documents for illegal immigrants.

Following a three month investigation by the ALE and Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Saffle's offices were searched yesterday and numerous documents, identification cards, records, computers and other items were seized by law enforcement authorities. Saffle, who is fluent in Spanish, operates a translation service business called Servicios Bilinques, located at 235 N. Main St., Candor. Candor police assisted in the search of the business.

Warrants secured by ALE Agent Chris Watkins and the sheriff's office charge the 60 year-old Saffle with one count of obtaining property by false pretense, a felony, and one count of manufacturing fictitious identification documents, a misdemeanor.

"Manufacturing fraudulent federal government documents is clearly a serious issue," ALE District Supervisor Rodney Johnson said, adding that the investigation is in the early stages and expected to go much further.

The documents Saffle allegedly produced were the type accepted by the Division of Motor Vehicles to obtain a North Carolina driver’s license. Saffle was allegedly charging up to $150 per document. Authorities were alerted to activities at the business by complaints from local citizens, Johnson said, and ALE sent an undercover officer who allegedly purchased forged documents from Saffle.

ALE is a division of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. The 76 agents across North Carolina focus on enforcing alcohol and tobacco laws, but have statewide arrest authority for any violation of the law.

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Editor’s note: For more information, contact Rodney Johnson, ALE District VI supervisor. Office: 336-315-7070 Pager: 877-899-2720.