Murder suspect accused of using fake passport to get into the U.S.
The man accused of going on a shooting rampage and killing two people across North Texas may have used a fake passport to get into the U.S. 35 times.
Only FOX 4 was there when Silvestre Franco-Luviano was transferred to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center after his arrest Tuesday night in Central Texas.
Federal documents show immigration officials knew years ago Luviano was using a fake passport. But somehow, he was able to get back to Texas after being deported three times. He even served prison time for passport fraud.
Immigration officials say Luviano was first deported in 1996 after a criminal conviction. He was then caught trying to get back into the U.S. in 2009 and was deported a second time.
In 2011, Luviano was arrested in Austin for car burglaries and sentenced to eight months in prison. Then in 2012, he pleaded guilty to passport fraud.
The criminal complaint shows that in 2006, Luviano stole the identity of a man in Brownsville named Juan Navarro Rios and applied and got a passport under that man's name. It’s the same name he was booked under in the Dallas County jail.
Documents reveal Franco-Luviano used a fake passport to travel between the U.S. and Mexico 35 times. He was sentenced to two years in prison for that fraud. When he got out in 2014, he was deported for a third time.
Police also confirmed a list of at least eight aliases Luviano has used with varying dates of birth.
"I've been doing this kind of work for 30 years and know we have a very porous border. That's quite obvious," said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Hector Gomez with the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. "Coming in and out of the country is relatively easy. I hate to say this is not unusual."
Luviano was arrested Tuesday night in Georgetown, north of Austin. He was wanted for a shooting spree early Monday that targeted at least five random drivers in Dallas and Cedar Hill. Two men – Ruben Moreno and Welton Betts – were killed.
After the shootings, police said Luviano broke into a home, stole a car and fled to Georgetown. He allegedly kidnapped a man in Georgetown but let him go after stealing his vehicle.
A tip led police to Luviano at a relative’s apartment. Police said he broke through a wall into an adjoining apartment and set a small fire as a diversion to try to get away, but officers were still able to tackle him at the bottom of the stairs.
When Luviano was arrested, police recovered a .45 caliber handgun and ammunition. Sources tell FOX 4 the gun was reported stolen.
'I'm glad they caught him and everything, but he deserves justice for what he did," said Carlos Moreno, Ruben's brother. "You trying to leave the country most likely and then you end up getting caught, and you just go out as a coward? I was expecting him to get killed or something. I don't wish death on nobody, but he deserves it."
In contrast to the Moreno family, the father of Welton Betts says he wants Luviano to get life in prison. He says he wants him to think about what he did to two families every day for the rest of his life.
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said Luviano is "a vivid example of the consequences of failing to secure our border."
Luviano is charged with two murders and could face charges for robbery and kidnapping.
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