Stalwart of the Hispanic of the Hispanic charged with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents?
By Judy Harrison
Friday, June 29, 2007 - Bangor Daily News
BANGOR — A businesswoman considered to be a stalwart of the Hispanic community in Washington County was arrested Thursday by federal agents and charged with fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents.
Doris Amanda Ayala Escalante, 39, is scheduled to appear today in U.S. District Court. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is expected to ask that she be held without bail until her case is resolved.
Escalante and her husband, Juan Manuel Centeno Perez, 46, opened the Mexican Store on U.S. Route 1 in Harrington in 2000 to serve the needs of the growing Hispanic community.
Perez has not been charged. But the couple appears to be under investigation for helping illegal aliens live and work in Washington County.
Both were described last week in court documents in an illegal immigration case as "labor contractors" for ISF Trading Inc., a Lubec sea cucumber processing plant.
"I have reviewed documents which establish that Centeno Perez and Ayala Escalante have since 2005 been hiring illegal aliens to work at ISF Trading, Inc., as well as other businesses in the area," Andrew Robinson, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in the complaint that led to the arrest of the two. "Centeno Perez and Ayala Escalante are known to house illegal aliens."
Authorities apparently have been investigating the couple since January 2005 when 17 illegal aliens were taken into custody after the van they were in broke down in Machias. The van, according to court documents, belonged to Perez.
Neither Escalante nor her husband has been charged with the activities described by Robinson. Instead, she is charged with having two sets of documents — one in her real name and another under an alias.
Escalante, according to court documents, used the name Amanda Ayala Centeno in 1993 to obtain immigration documents in addition to getting a Social Security number, an alien registration number and a work permit, or green card, in her own name six years later. She allegedly updated information under both names between 2000 and 2004.
Under the name Centeno, she claimed asylum from Guatemala and guerrilla warfare there, according to court documents. Escalante sought temporary protective status under the name Escalante as a citizen of Honduras.
She actually was born in Honduras, according to ICE investigators.
In a 2004 Bangor Daily News interview, Perez told a reporter he was from Guatemala. Escalante said she was from Honduras.
Court documents do not shed light on why Escalante had or needed two sets of documents.
Since 2000, an increasing number of Spanish-speaking workers have been employed in the blueberry fields, wreath-making operations, sardine factory and sea cucumber processing plant in Washington County.
To meet the needs of that population, the couple opened the Mexican Store, which features a grocery store and restaurant with Latin American cuisine. The store also offers the ServiMex and Girosol services that allow workers to send money home between harvests. Non-English-speaking workers also get help with the process from the Spanish-speaking owners.
The Mexican Store has been featured in nationally distributed articles by Associated Press and Washington Post reporters.
A businesswoman considered to be a stalwart of the Hispanic community in Washington County was arrested
Yes, stalwarts normally commit crimes and go to jail, don't they?How could you expect any court to find that couple GUILTY?
When you have a few hundred in the Seante & Congress who have been trying to do even MORE and just supply “IDs”!
hahahahaha! I crack myself up.
http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.a...
Answer:
I detest the illegal immigration in this country. And the people who grow fat from it by forging and fraud. Also the government officials that are looking the other way in regard to the illegals that abuse our systems,medical, educational as well as aid programs that are geared to make their small wages equal to at least the national average! It's time for the USA to make the USA the priority of the USA for a change. I know there are lots of people out of work due to these illegals, too. The Senate did take notice and killed the bill for amnesty because they finally realized that we were watching and aware and are ready to have proper representation now and always. Maybe the people will wake up and vote for a change and quit taking freedom for granted.
Falsification of documents such as passport and visas is good business for illegals who wanted greener pastures in the US.
Typical!
I wouldnt do it in Mexico, so dont let her do it here!
The laws already on the books. This is all I care about.
Federal Immigration and Nationality Act
Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(b)(iii)
"Any person who . . . encourages or induces an alien to . . . reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such . . . residence is . . . in violation of law, shall be punished as provided . . . for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs . . . fined under title 18 . . . imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."
Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):
A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:
* assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or
* encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions
Penalties upon conviction include criminal fines, imprisonment, and forfeiture of vehicles and real property used to commit the crime. Anyone employing or contracting with an illegal alien without verifying his or her work authorization status is guilty of a misdemeanor. Aliens and employers violating immigration laws are subject to arrest, detention, and seizure of their vehicles or property. In addition, individuals or entities who engage in racketeering enterprises that commit (or conspire to commit) immigration-related felonies are subject to private civil suits for treble damages and injunctive relief.
I hope this skank has Bubbette for a cell mate, and that Bubbette is really "into" skanks!
The Immigration information post by website user , MyTend.com not guarantee correctness.
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