Eight people have been charged with operating a ring that sold fraudulently obtained identity documents to illegal immigrants who lived mostly in the Harrisonburg area.

The ring -- one of whose leaders was Edwin Roberto Mendez, 32, of Harrisonburg -- operated for nine years, according to authorities, who announced the indictments yesterday in Harrisonburg.

It's unclear how many illegal immigrants obtained identity documents that would have allowed them to pass themselves off as U.S. citizens, said U.S. Attorney John Brownlee.

A federal grand jury in Roanoke charged the eight people with conspiracy to violate federal immigration laws, aggravated identity fraud, and conspiracy to commit identity fraud.

Brownlee said this is how the ring worked:

Mendez and others bought authentic Social Security and birth-certificate documents from a person in Puerto Rico who is believed to have stolen the documents. The documents were sold for about $600, Brownlee said.

Illegal immigrants who purchased the documents would be taken by van to a Columbus, Ohio, Bureau of Motor Vehicles office to obtain identity cards.

With the identity cards or driver's licenses from Ohio, the illegal immigrants could fraudulently present themselves as U.S. citizens and obtain work.

Two employees of the Columbus office, including a manager, also were indicted.

Contact Carlos Santos at (434) 295-9542 or csantos@timesdispatch.com.