Former Guilford County Detention Officer Charged With Forging Magistrate Signatures on ICE Detainer Orders

Michael Diehl, 40, a former Guilford County, North Carolina, detention officer, was charged with 20 counts of felony common law forgery after the county magistrate’s office flagged an allegedly forged “Order After Receipt of ICE Detainer and Administrative Warrant” tied to an ICE detainer for inmate Claudio Nepornuceno. Under North Carolina law, that form — issued by a magistrate who has seen the detainer — lets a jail hold an inmate up to 48 hours past their release time so ICE can take custody, but the sheriff’s office said Nepornuceno was never brought before a magistrate. A review of jail booking records found 19 more forms with allegedly forged magistrate signatures. Sheriff Danny H. Rogers’s office fired Diehl, who was released on a $5,000 secured bond; the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may follow.