ICE lawyer in Seattle charged with stealing immigrants' IDs

SEATTLE — A lawyer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle has been charged with stealing immigrants' identities for about four years.

Raphael Sanchez, identified as ICE's chief counsel in Seattle, faces one count of aggravated identity theft and another of wire fraud in a charging document filed Monday in U.S. District Court.

Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section allege that Sanchez, from October 2013 until at least October 2017, stole the identities of seven people "in various stages of immigration proceedings" to defraud credit card companies including American Express, Bank of America and Capital One.

The Justice Department said Tuesday that Sanchez had resigned, effective Monday.

Sanchez's lawyer, Cassandra Stamm, did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

The court's calendar showed that Sanchez is due to enter a plea on Thursday.