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Three more members of a violent, multi-state fraudulent document ring catering to illegal immigrants have entered guilty pleas in Richmond, according to federal authorities.

U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said Thursday that the men pleaded guilty this week to racketeering conspiracy. They are 33-year-old Eulalio Alcantara-Cruz of Manassas, Va., 35-year-old Alejandro Gonzalez-Garcia of Mishawaka, Ind., and 21-year-old Gabriel Soberanas-Grada of Greensboro, N.C. They face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced Sept. 7.

The three were among 27 alleged ring members arrested in November. Sixteen have pleaded guilty, and 11 are awaiting trial as a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's continuing "Operation Phalanx." The Virginia State Police and local authorities were involved.

Prosecutors have said the Mexico-based ring produced more than 15,000 false documents for illegal immigrants in 11 states and protected its lucrative turf through kidnappings, beatings and the slaying of a rival.

A February indictment of 22 members charged that Israel Cruz Millan, "El Muerto," 28, of Raleigh, N.C., oversaw the organization's U.S. operations. He placed a manager in each city, each of whom supervised "runners" who distributed business cards. Counterfeit resident alien and social security cards cost from $150-$200 each.

The cells maintained detailed sales records and divided the proceeds between the runner, the cell manager, and the upper level managers in Mexico. Members who failed to keep the rules were beaten or otherwise disciplined, sometimes by having their eyebrows shaved.

The indictment also alleges that members of Cruz Millan's organization would pose as customers of rival counterfeiters and then attack them. Edy Oliverez-Jiminez, 24, of Virginia Beach, is charged the with murder, kidnapping, and assault of a rival document vendor on July 6, 2010, in Little Rock, Ark. Oliverez-Jimenez and others allegedly bound the victim's hands, feet, mouth, and eyes with duct tape and then beat him to death. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for murder in aid of racketeering, as well as long sentences for kidnapping, assault and other charges.

I.C.E. Director John Morton said it was one of the three largest document cases the agency has ever done. "Much of our daily life depends on the trust people and government put in these cards," he said in February. "Basic civil order relies on identification that people have confidence in. We need to know who you are when you board a plane, when you open a bank account, when you apply for a government benefit."

The Associated Press contribured to this report.

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