Former North Carolina detention officer faces 20 felony forgery counts

20 alleged forgeries involved ICE detainers and forged magistrate signatures

The Guilford County Sheriff’s Office has charged a former county detention officer with 20 counts of felony common law forgery, alleging he submitted fake court documents to extend the detention of inmates subject to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers.

Sheriff Danny H. Rogers reported that on Friday the Guilford County magistrate’s office notified the sheriff’s office about a potentially forged document submitted by Michael Diehl, 40, a GCSO detention officer, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

The document was entitled “Order After Receipt of ICE Detainer and Administrative Warrant” — an AOC-CR-662 form associated with an ICE detainer issued for inmate Claudio Nepornuceno, the statement read.

Upon review, the magistrate’s office and GCSO detention staff determined that the document contained the allegedly forged signature of a different magistrate who had not processed Nepornuceno’s initial arrest, the sheriff’s office said.

Under North Carolina law, inmates subject to an ICE detainer must be presented before a magistrate with a copy of the detainer. The magistrate can then issue an AOC-CR-662 form allowing the detention center to hold the inmate for up to 48 hours beyond the time they would otherwise be entitled to release — a window intended to give ICE the opportunity to take custody.

The GCSO found that Nepornuceno was not presented before the magistrate with the detainer. Instead, the form bearing the allegedly forged magistrate’s signature was submitted.

A further review of the GCSO’s jail booking records identified 19 additional AOC-CR-662 forms linked to 19 additional inmates that contained allegedly forged signatures of magistrates, the sheriff’s office said.

The investigation found that in each of the 20 cases, ICE had issued a detainer based on evidence that the inmate who was the subject of the detainer was in violation of U.S. immigration law.

The sheriff’s office terminated Diehl’s employment during the criminal investigation. He was arrested and charged with 20 counts of felony common law forgery. He received a $5,000 secured bond and has since been released from custody.

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges may follow, the sheriff’s office said.

The case comes as the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push continues across the country. The Guardian reported that since President Trump’s inauguration, a record number of individuals — more than 70,000 — have been detained by ICE.