Rafael Mora-Lopez, 51, is charged with a false application of passport, using the name Rafael Espinoza to apply or re-apply for a passport in January. Mora-Lopez pleaded not guilty Friday afternoon.
When the passport application was made, the Department of State discovered that duplicate passports with the same information existed.
Anchorage police say Mora-Lopez, who is actually a Mexican citizen, had been working with the Anchorage Police Department as Rafael Espinoza since May of 2005.
The Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office would not say how long Mora-Lopez had been in Alaska or the U.S., or how long he had been using Espinoza’s name, saying that many details would not come out until trial because it is an ongoing investigation.
U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said charges were brought Thursday, and Mora-Lopez was arrested the same day. “It came to our attention and was resolved in about 24 hours,” Anchorage Police Chief Mark Mew said.
Mew emphasized that, other than the false name, there is no other evidence of wrongdoing on Mora-Lopez’s part. He said Mora-Lopez, as Espinoza, was known as hardworking, professional and was well-respected amongst his colleagues. “The problem is, he is not Rafael Espinoza,” Mew said.
Mew said that the real Rafael Espinoza, a U.S. Citizen, has a “squeaky-clean” record, and that any background check for Mora-Lopez under the assumed name would have showed that clean background. He also said a fingerprint check would not have discovered anything unless Mora-Lopez had been fingerprinted as a criminal or for other employment opportunities and background checks.
Mew did say, however, that Mora-Lopez’s polygraph test, which law enforcement officers take prior to employment, would be examined, if possible.
“It is a career-ending matter,” Mew said.
Mora-Lopez worked on the swing-shift patrol, and Mew said that the other officers on that shift are, “of course, devastated. He’s a core member of that shift.”
He said many officers feel betrayed, and that “it’s a bitter pill to swallow.” Mew characterized Mora-Lopez as “an honest guy who lied his way into a job.”
U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said that many details were kept under wraps, both for the privacy of the real Rafael Espinoza and the defendant, Mora-Lopez, and for the sake of the ongoing investigation.
Loeffler emphasized that the matter had only come to light within the last day or so, and that many things were still being sorted out.
False Application of Passport is a federal crime with a 10-year maximum sentence, Loeffler said. She said it is possible that other charges will be brought, but currently, Mora-Lopez is charged with just one count.
Mora-Lopez was arraigned at 3 p.m. Friday. He made a statement, saying, "I was very proud to serve the community."
In the last two years, the Anchorage Police Department has been rocked by criminal charges against officers -- some of whom committed crimes while in uniform. Former officer Anthony Rollins was convicted in February of raping several women at APD’s now-closed Mountain View substation, while Sammy Cohen was convicted in 2009 of child sex abuse.
