'Photo Guy', Norristown's Prolific Counterfeiter, Sent To Prison

NORRISTOWN, PA — A counterfeit criminal from Montgomery County who was so prolific and well-known he earned the nickname "Photo Guy" has been sentenced to prison.

Danial Gomez-Velazquillo, 34, of Norristown, will spend the next two years and three months behind bars, U.S. District Judge Barclay Surrick ruled this week.

Gomez-Velazquillo was able to provide "high quality" fakes of a wide range of documents in his career, from social security cards to alien registration cards, federal officials said.

All told, he produced and sold more than 7,000 separate identification documents, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

“When we prosecute a fraudster for stealing personal identification information, we recognize that each nine-digit social security number is an American citizen,” Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Williams said in a statement. “Social security cards and other identification documents have become critical in modern society to confirm individuals’ identities for a wide range of purposes, and those who commit these offenses can cause lifelong harm to the victims."

Gomez-Velazquillo pleaded guilty back in March 2020 to six counts of unlawful production of identification documents, six counts of sale of Social Security cards, and five counts of sale of alien registration cards.

The case was prosecuted by special assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Curran.