Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Officer Jose Villarreal Charged with Forging Documents

A Mexican national allegedly used forged documents to obtain U.S. citizenship and a job as a Homestead, Fla., police officer, authorities said.

Jose Villarreal, 31, has been charged with official misconduct, obtaining forged instruments and making false official statements, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

Villarreal's citizenship certificate was falsely obtained and the birth certificate he used contained false information about his date of birth, his middle name and his mother's name, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said.

Villarreal, who was arrested Friday, was hired by Homestead
police in 2006. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay, police spokesman Ed Bowe said.

"It's always a disappointment for any department when a police officer is arrested,'' Bowe said.

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