Detention officer forged ICE documents to hold 20 immigrant inmates
Sep 11, 2026·Location: Greensboro, NC

A former Guilford County detention officer, Michael Diehl, 40, was charged with 20 counts of felony forgery after allegedly submitting fake magistrate signatures on ICE detainer forms. The investigation began after the Magistrate's Office flagged a forged document in the case of detainee Claudio Nepornuceno, filed under North Carolina's HB 153 detainer process, which allows magistrates to hold ICE detainees up to 48 additional hours before transfer to federal custody. A review of jail records then uncovered 19 more forms with allegedly forged magistrate signatures. Diehl, who had worked for the Sheriff's Office since June 2008, was fired and arrested, and the investigation is ongoing.
Sources
- Former US detention officer charged with 20 counts of felony forgery
The Guardian·Sep 12, 2026·archived copy
- NC Detention Officer Faked Judge Signatures 20 Times to Hold Immigrants for ICE
thedingodaily.com·Sep 12, 2026·archived copy
- Sheriff: Guilford County officer forged magistrate signatures on 20 ICE detainer forms
wxii12.com·Sep 12, 2026
- Guilford sheriff
enlacelatinonc.org·Sep 15, 2026
- Former US detention officer charged with 20 counts of felony forgery - Soul 95.7 FM
soul957fm.com·Sep 12, 2026
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