Belgrade Woman Pleads Guilty to Harboring Illegal Aliens, Selling Fake IDs

BELGRADE, MT — A Belgrade woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to harboring illegal aliens after federal investigators discovered she was operating a fake identification document business from a residence housing 12 illegal aliens, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Eustolia Casarreal-Morales, 56, faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each illegal alien involved in the offense when she is sentenced April 8, 2026, in the Missoula Federal District Court. U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine the sentence.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at the Belgrade residence on Aug. 12, 2025, discovering Casarreal-Morales along with 12 individuals who were in the United States illegally. Investigators also found payment ledgers, false identification documents, and rental records.

“She sold them fake identification documents,” according to court documents, with at least three witnesses confirming Casarreal-Morales provided fraudulent IDs to residents of the house.

The case originated from a 2023 investigation when law enforcement debriefed two sources who described being smuggled into the United States from Mexico and eventually transported to Montana for work. Those sources identified individuals in the Bozeman area involved in their smuggling, leading investigators to Casarreal-Morales.

Beginning in May 2025, law enforcement identified the Belgrade residence as suspected of housing illegal aliens. The 12 individuals found at the residence explained they either entered the United States through expired visas or were smuggled across the border before making their way to Belgrade to secure work.

The residents paid monthly rent to Casarreal-Morales to live at the house while working in the Belgrade area. At least two witnesses indicated Casarreal-Morales knew the smuggler identified in the 2023 investigation.

“I was aware the individuals in the house were not legally in the United States and that was wrong,” Casarreal-Morales told investigators at the scene, according to court documents.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the guilty plea hearing. Casarreal-Morales was released with conditions pending sentencing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus is prosecuting the case as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations. Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Border Patrol conducted the investigation.