A multi-agency raid at a South Carolina factory led to 48 workers being detained by ICE and six indictments. What investigators uncovered is raising big concerns.
ABBEVILLE, S.C. โ Six people were indicted on illegal immigration and identity theft charges following a multi-agency investigation dubbed “Ghost Story” that culminated in arrests at a South Carolina manufacturing company, state officials announced.
Two managers at Burnstein Von Seelen Precision Casting in Abbeville were arrested Wednesday during the operation, while 48 workers were detained by ICE for immigration violations. Attorney General Alan Wilson said the indictments target both alleged document vendors who created fake identification and business managers who allegedly facilitated the use of fraudulent documents.
The investigation, which began in fall 2024, focused on how easily undocumented immigrants in South Carolina can obtain fake U.S. and state identification documents. According to the indictments, the fake identity cards used dates of birth and Social Security numbers belonging to actual U.S. citizens.
Christopher Douglas Ramey and Sandy Lynn Willis, both managers at the Abbeville casting company, face charges including criminal conspiracy, identity fraud and forgery. The indictments allege they violated legal obligations to verify employee identification and facilitated the use of forged documents.
Four other defendants are accused of serving as document vendors, creating forged driver’s licenses, Social Security cards and other fake identification. Three of those defendants have already been processed through the courts, while one remains at large.
“When criminals make it easy for illegal aliens to get fake identification documents, we don’t know who is working in our country,” Wilson said, citing concerns about national security and the manufacturing sector.
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel called the operation “the direct result of an exhaustive, years-long investigation” and said it should serve as a deterrent to illegal employment practices.
The operation involved multiple agencies including SLED, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE and several county sheriff’s offices. Bond hearings for Ramey and Willis are scheduled for Thursday at the Richland County Courthouse.
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