Immigration Lawyer Alex Meyerovich is Selected for Superlawyers 2013

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-612-5548

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

M.C. Law Group is proud to announce that Immigration Attorney Alex Meyerovich was selected for the Super Lawyers “Connecticut Rising Star 2013” list. 

Super Lawyers is an established rating service for selecting outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition for their professional achievement. Super Lawyers selection is a multi-phased process that includes independent research, peer nomination and peer evaluations. Only the 2.5 top percent of the total lawyers in the state are selected. 

Alex Meyerovich is an immigration attorney at M.C. Law Group, located in Bridgeport, CT. In 2007 attorney Meyerovich co-founded M.C. Law Group, LLP and remains Managing Partner of the firm. The M.C. Law Group is a full service immigration law firm, handling cases in all areas of immigration and nationality law, and representing clients located throughout the world and the U.S.

For more information please visit us at www.uslegalvisa.com

HSI seizes 60,000 counterfeit items worth $2 million from Alabama flea market

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-612-5548

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

WETUMPKA, Ala. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in coordination with Alabama state police and the Elmore County Sheriff's Department seized approximately 60,000 counterfeit items from an Alabama flea market Saturday worth a total manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $2.04 million. The seized items include counterfeit designer clothing, handbags, shoes, sportswear and electronics.

HSI seized counterfeit merchandise from 47 vendors offering fraudulent items for sale within the Santuk Flea Market located at 7300 Central Plank Road in Wetumpka following a six month federal investigation by HSI special agents. ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers also arrested two individuals for immigration-related violations. The flea market itself and legitimate vendors on the premises remained open during the operation.
"Criminals who sell counterfeit products are economic parasites who harm legitimate businesses that pay taxes, create jobs and support our national economy," said Special Agent in Charge of HSI New Orleans Raymond R. Parmer Jr. "Anyone who thinks counterfeiting is a victimless crime should realize the profits of these black-market sales are routinely diverted to support further criminal activity such as drug trafficking, money laundering and even potential terrorism."
Parmer oversees a five-state area of responsibility including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
HSI seized counterfeit merchandise infringing upon the trademarks of more than 30 different brands to include Michael Kors, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Coach, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the National Football League (NFL). Approximately 100 HSI, state and local law enforcement officers participated in the Saturday operation.
These seizures were part of Operation Team Player, a National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center)-led initiative that targets the sale and trafficking of counterfeit sports merchandise and apparel, a multimillion dollar criminal industry. The trafficking of these items is a lucrative business for criminals and becomes more profitable in markets involving successful and popular teams. The culmination of the sports season, all-star games and the playoffs are events that especially stimulate the sale of counterfeit items in local communities around the country.
The HSI-led IPR Center is one of the U.S. government's key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. Working in close coordination with the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its 21-member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations related to intellectual property theft. Through this strategic interagency partnership, the IPR Center protects the public's health and safety and the U.S. economy.

Information collected from ICE.gov

September 7, 2013

Wetumpka, AL

Don't text and drive

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-373-9080

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Information collected from CNN.com

(CNN) -- We've all heard the dictum: Don't text and drive. Now a New Jersey state appeals court has an addendum: Don't knowingly text a driver -- or you could be held liable if he causes a crash.

Kyle Best was behind the wheel of his pickup in September 2009 driving down a rural highway when Shannon Colonna sent him a text.

The two were teens at the time. He was 18; she was 17, and they were dating. They sent each other 62 texts that day, according to court documents.

In the opposing lane of traffic, David Kubert was cruising along on a big, blue touring motorcycle with his wife, Linda, along for the ride. They approached Best at exactly the wrong time.

A court summary of the times of texts and calls to and from Best's cell phone reflect what happened next:

The teens were having a text chat, volleying each other messages every few moments.

Seventeen seconds after Best sent a text, he was calling a 911 operator.

His truck had drifted across the double center line and hit the Kuberts head-on.

The scene Best described to the emergency operator was most certainly gruesome.

"The collision severed, or nearly severed David's left leg. It shattered Linda's left leg, leaving her fractured thighbone protruding out of the skin as she lay injured in the road," the court document said.

Best hung up. Colonna texted him two more times.

The court did not publish the contents of their messages.

Film legend Herzog takes on texting and driving

The lawsuit

The Kuberts both lost their legs. They sued.

But they didn't just go after Best. They included Colonna in the lawsuit.

In their minds, she was distracting him and was also responsible for their pain and loss.

They settled with Best and lost against Colonna, but they appealed that decision.

The plaintiffs' attorney, Stephen Weinstein, argued that the text sender was electronically in the car with the driver receiving the text and should be treated like someone sitting next to him willfully causing a distraction, legal analyst Marc Saperstein told CNN affiliate WPIX-TV.

The argument seemed to work.

The ruling

On Tuesday, three appeals court judges agreed with it -- in principle.

They ruled that if the sender of text messages knows that the recipient is driving and texting at the same time, a court may hold the sender responsible for distraction and hold him or her liable for the accident.

"We hold that the sender of a text message can potentially be liable if an accident is caused by texting, but only if the sender knew or had special reason to know that the recipient would view the text while driving and thus be distracted," the court said.

But the judges let Colonna off the hook.

She had a habit of sending more than 100 texts a day and was oblivious to whether recipients were driving or not.

"I'm a young teenager. That's what we do," she said in her deposition before the original trial.

Since she was unaware that Best was texting while driving, she bore no responsibility, the court decided.

"In this appeal, we must also decide whether plaintiffs have shown sufficient evidence to defeat summary judgment in favor of the remote texter. We conclude they have not," it said.

Survey: Adults text more than teens while driving

The reaction

During the trial, Colonna, now 21, found it "weird" that the plaintiffs tried to nail down whether she knew Best was texting behind the wheel, the court document said.

The judges' decision has elicited a similar response from the state's governor, Chris Christie.

The driver is ultimately responsible, he said. Not someone sending him a text.

"You have the obligation to keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel and pay attention to what you're doing," he told radio station New Jersey 101.5.

Other New Jerseyites agreed.

"That's completely absurd, just because you know you're driving doesn't mean, it really doesn't mean they know you're looking at it," Joe Applegate told WPIX.

"Even talking to the driver can distract them, so they are going to arrest for someone who simply talked to someone who is driving?" Louise McKellip asked.

The future

New Jersey has been cracking down hard on texting and driving in recent years, implementing new laws and regulations that treat it in a similar manner as drunken driving if it involves an injury accident.

The state passed a law last year based on the fate of the Kuberts and others who had been killed or maimed by texting motorists.

The "Kulesh, Kubert and Bolish's Law" makes distracted driving a crime if the driver causes an accident. Fines for bodily injury run as high as $150,000, and the driver can go to jail for up to 10 years.

And new legislation proposed by state Sen. James Holzapfel would let police thumb through cellphones if they have "reasonable grounds" to believe the driver was talking or texting when the wreck occurred.

The bill has set off alarm bells with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey.

Judge rules using smartphone maps while driving illegal

ICE deports Sandra Avila Beltran

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-373-9080

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Information collected from ice.go

August 20, 2013

El Paso, TX

ICE deports Sandra Avila Beltran
Avila Beltran, a convicted accessory to drug traffickers, was flown to Mexico City

EL PASO, Texas – A Mexican woman convicted of being an accessory after the fact in aiding cocaine traffickers, and known to international media outlets as the "Queen of the Pacific" for her alleged ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel, was deported to Mexico Tuesday morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Avila Beltran, 52, a convicted aggravated felon, was among 129 ICE detainees flown from El Paso to Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, where she was turned over to Mexican authorities on Aug. 20.
In August 2012, Avila Beltran was paroled into the United States to face U.S. federal charges of conspiring to distribute cocaine in Florida. ICE officers in Miami placed a detainer on Avila Beltran while she was in custody at the Miami Federal Detention Center.
On April 23, Avila Beltran pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to the crime of drug trafficking, and on July 25 she was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison, with credit for time served.
Avila Beltran was released from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons July 30 and turned over to ICE custody. At that time, she was processed to be administratively deported to Mexico as an aggravated felon.
"The deportation of this convicted aggravated felon, and thousands of others, is the result of the robust working relationship ICE has with the government of Mexico," said Adrian P. Macias, field office director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in El Paso. "The partnership goes hand-in-hand with ICE’s commitment to smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with major drug offenses."
Avila Beltran was repatriated via an Interior Repatriation Initiative (IRI) flight. The IRI is a joint agreement between the governments of the United States and Mexico to provide the humane, safe and orderly repatriation of Mexican nationals.
The goal of the IRI, which began as a pilot program in 2012 and was signed as a permanent initiative April 18, is to return Mexican nationals to the interior of Mexico. Having this framework will reduce recidivism and border violence by returning Mexican nationals to their cities of origin, where there is a higher likelihood that they will reintegrate themselves back into their communities, rather than fall victim to human trafficking or other crimes in Mexican border towns.

Alabama man sentenced to 121 months for using Internet to entice minor

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-373-9080

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Information collected from ice.go

August 21, 2013

Panama City, FL

Alabama man sentenced to 121 months for using Internet to entice minor

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – An Alabama man was sentenced Wednesday to 121 months in federal prison for using the Internet in an attempt to persuade, induce and entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. This case was investigated by the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which includes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville Police Department.
Evidence presented during a three day trial in April proved that on June 14, 2012, law enforcement officers posed as a 14-year-old boy named Skylar and responded to an advertisement titled "Last call!!!! – m4m – 1840 (PCB/Laguna Beach)." This advertisement was posted under the casual encounters section of Craigslist.org.
For the next 48 hours, Thomas Monroe Lee, 40, of Gadsden, engaged in email chats and text messages with Skylar that were sexual in nature. Lee subsequently drove to a location where he had arranged to meet Skylar. Lee planned to transport Skylar back to his Alabama residence to engage in sexual activity. However, once Lee arrived at the location, officers from various law enforcement agencies arrested him for attempted online enticement of a child.
The court also ordered Lee to pay a $1,000 fine and serve seven years of supervised release following his prison term.
"The Internet is a dangerous place, and we are determined to protect and provide justice to victims of Internet crime," said U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh. "Adult predators who seek to harm our children will be pursued and prosecuted by our office in cooperation with our law enforcement partners."
"This man drove across state lines for the sole purpose of engaging in sexual relations with a child he believed to be 14 years old," said Shane Folden, deputy special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, which oversees the agency’s Panama City office that participated in the investigation. "Our joint law enforcement efforts have successfully put this man behind bars for the next 10 years where he can no longer prey on innocent children."
The investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-843-5678.
HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

Long Beach mother and son charged federally with sex trafficking teenage girl

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-373-9080

Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Information collected from ice.go

August 22, 2013

Los Angeles, CA

Long Beach mother and son charged federally with sex trafficking teenage girl

LOS ANGELES — A Long Beach man and his mother are expected to appear in federal court Thursday following their indictment for allegedly working together to prostitute a local runaway beginning when the girl was only 15.
Joshua Jerome Davis, 22, and his mother, Sharilyn Kae Anderson, 45, are charged in a five-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury Thursday with child sex trafficking; coercion and enticement of a minor; transporting a minor; and aiding and abetting. The sex trafficking of a child by force carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years. The indictment also charges the mother and son with prostituting a second victim, an adult, through the use of force, fraud and coercion. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
"Child sex trafficking is a silent epidemic affecting too many of our communities," said United States Attorney André Birotte Jr. "In recent weeks, we have seen a significant uptick in the number of child sex trafficking cases being referred to this office. The allegations in this case – a mother and son teamed up to exploit and victimize teenagers – are particularly appalling. Those engaged in this manipulative and abusive conduct need to know that law enforcement in Southern California has joined forces to combat this form of modern-day slavery."
Anderson was taken into custody Wednesday night by Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) vice detectives and special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) based upon a previously filed criminal complaint. She made her initial court appearance Thursday morning.
Her son was arrested Aug. 8 outside a residence he recently leased in North Las Vegas, also based upon a criminal complaint related to the case. Following his arrest, Davis was transferred to Los Angeles, where he remains in custody without bond. Davis is scheduled to appear in court Thursday afternoon for a detention hearing. At the time of Davis' arrest, investigators located and rescued the now 17-year-old female victim, who was with Davis' mother. The victim has been placed in a shelter.
The charges against Davis and Anderson represent the second federal child sex trafficking case arising from a joint probe by the LBPD and HSI in the last two months. The LBPD initially opened the investigation last year after the victim's father reported her missing. The ensuing probe uncovered evidence that Davis, assisted and counseled by his mother, had prostituted the victim at several hotels in Southern California and transported her across state lines to Nevada to engage in commercial sex in Las Vegas casinos.
"We value our partnership with our federal partners to help impact the sexual exploitation of children and to hold those responsible accountable through enforcement and substantial penalties," said Long Beach Chief of Police Jim McDonnell. "Community awareness is a critical component to helping prevent other children from falling prey to this horrible crime."
According to publicly filed court documents, Davis first communicated with the victim on Facebook in 2010, when the victim was 14, leading to an initial in-person meeting in December 2011. Several months later, the victim created an account on a website commonly used to promote prostitution and escort services. She subsequently told investigators she paid Davis approximately 30 percent of the proceeds she earned from commercial sex. Initially, the victim claimed Davis believed she was 19, but when confronted by investigators with a text message from the defendant indicating he knew she was not yet 18, she recanted and said Davis believed she was 17.
"Unfortunately, it's all too common for minors involved in prostitution who are under duress to attempt to shield their pimps from law enforcement by withholding or minimizing information regarding the pimp's knowledge and control over the minor's activities," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. "The coercion of minors into prostitution is unconscionable. HSI will continue to work closely with its law enforcement partners to bring those engaged in the sexual exploitation of juveniles to justice. We owe it to these underage victims who are being robbed of their youth and their innocence."
Court documents allege Anderson helped facilitate the prostitution scheme by transporting the teenage victim and a second victim to hotels to engage in prostitution when her son was unavailable. Anderson also made threats to and assaulted the second victim to intimidate the victim to continue making money for her son by prostituting.
Davis was initially arrested April 23 and booked into the Long Beach City Jail on state pandering and human trafficking violations. According to a case affidavit, Davis told investigators then that he obtained a hotel room for the victim in Las Vegas "out of the goodness of his heart." After posting bond in the state case, investigators say Davis absconded to the Las Vegas area, where he reunited with the victim and resumed his commercial sex activities.
Authorities believe the defendants may have additional unidentified victims. Anyone with information about this matter is encouraged to call HSI's toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or submit information using HSI's online tip form at http://www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
Victims of human trafficking, or individuals who have knowledge of trafficking activity, may also contact the Long Beach Police Department's Vice Investigations Detail at 562-570-7219. To remain anonymous, the public may visit www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Feds charge 57 people linked to organizations that smuggled narcotics

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-373-9080

Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Information collected from ice.go

August 15, 2013

Los Angeles, CA

Feds charge 57 people linked to organizations that smuggled narcotics from Mexico inside PVC pipe LOS ANGELES – A federal drug task force arrested 18 people Thursday linked to three drug trafficking organizations that smuggled narcotics from Mexico inside PVC pipe typically hidden in the axles of commercial trucks that ended up at truck yards in South Los Angeles and southern Los Angeles County.

The 18 defendants arrested Thursday are among 57 defendants charged in two indictments and one criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Authorities continue to search for the remaining defendants. During the course of the probe, which started in early 2011, authorities seized more than 2,400 pounds of methamphetamine, 30 kilograms of cocaine, 16 kilograms of white heroin, 20 kilograms of brown heroin, and more than $1.2 million in suspected narcotics proceeds, along with 18 firearms. Thursday’s enforcement actions resulted in the seizure of an additional seven pounds of methamphetamine, three firearms, four vehicles, approximately $50,000 in cash and an operational methamphetamine laboratory.
"As the means and methods that drug trafficking organizations use evolve, so will law enforcement evolve to meet the challenge," said U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. "The allegations here describe a wide-ranging conspiracy to exploit aspects of our nation’s trucking and transportation system and funnel enormous amounts of dangerous narcotics into this country. The arrests we announce today dismantle that conspiracy and disrupt this threat to public safety."
The investigations that led to Thursday’s takedown were conducted by the Los Angeles High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)/Southern California Drug Task Force, a federally funded group comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Internal Revenue Service -Criminal Investigation. The Azusa, South Gate and Whittier police departments along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provided substantial assistance with the case.
"Through the cooperation of federal, state and local law enforcement, thousands of pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin have been seized, with a combined street value in the tens of millions of dollars," said Anthony Williams, DEA special agent in charge. "These drugs were en-route to our communities and neighborhoods. Today’s arrests have taken those responsible for distributing these dangerous drugs off our streets to face justice in federal court."
"The criminal networks targeted in this case exploited one of the nation’s busiest transportation corridors to mask the movement of staggering amounts of contraband - the volume of methamphetamine being smuggled by these organizations is virtually unprecedented," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. "Today, as a result of our collective enforcement efforts, we’ve literally knocked the wheels off of a highly sophisticated drug distribution scheme that had ties to at least five states."
The investigation initially looked into a drug trafficking organization run by Mexico-based Miguel Angel Molinero-Castro. Molinero’s organization used truck yards in South Gate and Wilmington to receive large quantities of controlled substances hidden in PVC pipes that were further concealed in tractor trailer axles.
According to the criminal complaint that charged Molinero and 37 others connected to the alleged drug trafficking ring, Molinero arranged for narcotics to be transported via truck from Mexico to Nogales, Ariz., where co-conspirators would take control of the shipments. The narcotics were then transported either to other distributors in Arizona or to the Los Angeles area.
The criminal complaint charges 38 defendants with two counts: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
A related indictment charges eight defendants involved in another drug distribution ring that also allegedly smuggled narcotics from Mexico into the U.S. inside PVC pipes hidden inside truck axles.
An indictment in a third case charges eight defendants in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. This case concerns narcotics smuggled from Mexico in PVC pipes and distributed from a truck yard in South Gate.
Additional agencies that aided with this investigation and Thursday’s takedown include, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Los Angeles-SRT; the U.S. Marshals Service; the Ventura County Combined Agency Team (VCAT); the California Highway Patrol; the California Multi-Jurisdictional Methamphetamine Enforcement Team; the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Team; and the Anaheim Police Department.

 M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

 203-373-9080

Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

ICE Chicago office deports Polish man who made fake NATO bomb threat

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-373-9080

Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Information collected from ice.go
August 14, 2013
Chicago, IL

CHICAGO — A Polish national, who bragged that he could blow up a Chicago bridge during the NATO Summit in Chicago in May 2012, was deported to Poland Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Sebastian Senakiewicz, 25, was repatriated to Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 14 via commercial aircraft, and accompanied by two ERO enforcement officers.
On May 17, 2012, Senakiewicz was arrested by the Chicago Police Department on charges of making a false terrorist threat after claiming to have enough homemade explosives to blow up a train overpass during the NATO Summit in Chicago in May 2012. According to court documents, Sanakiewicz stated that he had built two explosive devices that he had hidden in a hollowed-out "Harry Potter" book at his Chicago residence.
Senakiewicz pleaded guilty in Cook County Circuit Court Nov. 6 and was sentenced to four years in prison. The sentence was appealed and later reduced to Cook County boot camp.
Senakiewicz was released on an unknown date without being turned over to ICE pursuant to an immigration detainer that was lodged May 21 at the Cook County Jail. ERO officers located and arrested Senakiewicz July 17 after he was released from boot camp. Senakiewicz, who was living in the United States illegally, is a self-admitted anarchist and member of the "Black Bloc" anarchist group.
"Mr. Senakiewicz thought he could make threats against the City of Chicago with impunity," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. "He was wrong on many levels, and now this convicted criminal has been removed from the United States in the name of public safety."
ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ERO also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system, including immigration fugitives or previously deported criminal aliens who have illegally re-entered the country.

Man arrested in connection with Jamaican lottery scam

Information collected from ice.go

Call M.C. Law  203-373-9080

Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com 

Man arrested in connection with Jamaican lottery scam

MIAMI – A Jamaican man was arrested and charged with participating in a telemarketing conspiracy and committing 37 counts of wire fraud. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Oneike Mickhale Barnett, 27, and his co-conspirators ran a lottery scam in Jamaica that fraudulently induced elderly victims in the United States to send them thousands of dollars to cover fees for lottery winnings that the victims had not in fact won. Beginning in October 2008, Barnett and his co-conspirators allegedly made calls from Jamaica to victims using voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Using VoIP, the telephone calls appeared to originate from a U.S. area code. Once Barnett and his co-conspirators made contact with the victims, they would inform the victims they had won cash and prizes. Then, they would persuade the victims to send thousands of dollars in fees to release the money. The victims never received cash or prizes. According to the indictment, Barnett and his co-conspirators convinced victims to send money to middlemen in South Florida, who forwarded the money to Jamaica.
"These individuals are preying on some of the most vulnerable members in our communities," said Alysa D. Erichs, special agent in charge of HSI Miami. "We will continue to work with our partners in Jamaica and other law enforcement agencies to put these criminal enterprises out of business."
"This arrest highlights the joint effort between U.S. and Jamaican law enforcement to prosecute those who prey on our nation’s senior citizens." said Ronald Verrochio, inspector in charge for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. "The mission of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is to protect consumers by ensuring the nation’s mail system is not used as a tool for fraud."
"The U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Florida, along with the Jamaica Foreign Field Office and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, remain committed to locating and apprehending criminals who defraud elderly Americans. We will continue to work with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Department of Homeland Security on the JOLT task force in the ongoing effort to combat lottery fraud targeting some of our most vulnerable citizens," said Acting U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida Neil DeSousa.
"Jamaican lottery scams are a rampant problem stealing from Americans across the country. These fraudsters are preying on older Americans and fleecing them large amounts of money," said Stuart F. Delery, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Division. "The Justice Department will continue to combat this type of fraud and bring those responsible to justice."
"While these scams are based in Jamaica, they transmit considerable amounts of money through south Florida," said U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer. "We will continue to prosecute those who use south Florida as a base from which to pursue this illegal activity."
If convicted, Barnett faces a maximum sentence of 30 years per count.

ICE's top 10 anti-gang achievements

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-612-5548

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

 

TOP STORY: ICE's top 10 anti-gang achievements

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protects the United States by promoting homeland security and public safety through the criminal and civil enforcement of federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration. To accomplish this mission, ICE coordinates with its federal, state, local and tribal partners to arrest and remove dangerous individuals during anti-gang operations and projects around the country.

Below are 10 of ICE's anti-gang achievements.

Operation Community Shield

ICE conducted its largest ever nationwide gang surge Oct. 1, 2008, during Operation Community Shield.
In the course of the ICE-led operation, 1,759 gang members and associates, criminals and immigration violators were arrested.
ICE announced March 1, 2011, the arrests of 678 gang members and associates from 133 different gangs during Project Southern Tempest, an intensive law enforcement operation executed in 168 U.S. cities targeting gangs affiliated with drug trafficking organizations.
During this operation the ICE arrested the 20,000th gang member since inception of the anti-gang program in 2005.

Project Nefarious

The goal of Project Nefarious was to identify, locate, arrest, prosecute and remove gang members and associates affiliated with human smuggling and trafficking organizations.
ICE announced April 25, 2012, the arrests of 637 gang members and associates from 168 different gangs during Project Nefarious. The operation was executed in 150 U.S. cities and Honduras targeting transnational street gangs, prison gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs involved with human smuggling and trafficking organizations.

Project Big Freeze

Project Big Freeze was the largest nationwide ICE-led enforcement operation targeting transnational gangs with ties to drug trafficking organizations.
ICE announced Jan. 27, 2010, the arrests of 476 gang members, associates and other criminals.

Crystal Palace

Oct. 16 2012, the results of a long-term probe, which dismantled one of San Diego County's largest single-day weapons seizures, and drug and gun trafficking rings involving members of 13 different Southern California gangs, are announced. Special agents from ICE seized a cache of 60 weapons during the two-year investigation dubbed.
This case was unique because of the number and type of weapons seized. The items included Uzi submachine guns, AR-15 rifles, shotguns, high-powered rifles with optics and laser sighting systems, silencers and a law enforcement Taser.

Operation Barbed Wire

The U.S. Department of the Treasury with the assistance of ICE designated the Latin American gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as a transnational criminal organization Oct. 11, 2012. MS-13 was the first transnational criminal street gang designated as a transnational criminal organization.
MS-13 was designated for its involvement in serious criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human smuggling and sex trafficking, murder and violence, racketeering, and immigration offenses. MS-13 is one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in the world today. MS-13 members have been responsible for numerous killings within the United States.

Operation Red Rein

The federal government indicted the majority of the 20th Street clique members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang Oct. 23, 2008.
Twenty-two individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area were indicted on federal racketeering and other charges arising from their participation in the MS-13.

Operation Devil Horns

When the federal government indicted the majority of the 20th Street clique members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, Oct. 22, 2008, Danilo Velasquez, aka "Triste," assumed leadership.
Velasquez was sentenced to life in federal prison Feb. 15, 2012, on racketeering-related charges arising from Operation Devil Horns, a long-term probe led by ICE. Velasquez was described by a federal judge as a "vicious murderer."

Operation Red Tidings

Federal and local authorities announced the indictment May 3, 2012, of 19 members of a South San Francisco street gang on racketeering and other federal charges.
This indictment and the related arrests served as a warning to gangs about the consequences of using violence and fear to maintain control of their turf.
Three ICE special agents with were injured during the enforcement action. They were transported to a Bay area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. The indictment was the culmination of investigations originally initiated by the Daly City Police Department and the South San Francisco Police Department following separate shootings in those communities. The Daly City shooting occurred Dec. 18, 2010, and left three people injured. Four days later, a shooting in South San Francisco killed three individuals and wounded three others.

Rancho San Pedro Busts

More than 1,300 federal and local law enforcement officers fanned out April 28, 2011, across the Los Angeles harbor area to arrest 80 alleged members and associates of the Rancho San Pedro gang. The charges stem from a sweeping investigation involving more than a dozen federal, state and local agencies. During the course of the investigation, informants and undercover officers purchased 90 firearms along with significant quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. During the takedown, officers seized an additional 14 firearms and a silencer.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office has filed a gang injunction and nuisance abatement actions against the gang. This is the first time a gang injunction and nuisance abatement lawsuits have been filed simultaneously in conjunction with the takedown of a major Southern California street gang.

Colombian drug kingpin extradited to US following HSI, DEA investigation

Data collected from ice.gov

NEW YORK — After spending years in hiding, the Colombian leader of a cocaine trafficking conspiracy responsible for manufacturing hundreds of tons of cocaine annually in Colombia, trafficking it to various parts of the world, including the United States, and laundering tens of millions of dollars in proceeds from that narcotics trafficking activity was extradited to the United States Tuesday.
Daniel Barrera Barrera, aka Loco, 44, was arrested following an international law enforcement operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In March 2010, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Barrera as a "Special Designated Narcotics Trafficker," pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Barrera was arrested in Venezuela Sept.18. Thereafter, he was sent to Colombia, from where the United States sought his extradition. The extradition of Barrera is the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation led by the DEA and HSI. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation's illegal drug supply.
HSI Executive Assistant Director James Dinkins said, "Barrera and his co-conspirators stand accused of running one of the largest cocaine trafficking operations in history. His extradition to the United States represents a major victory for the rule of law. While Mr. Barrera may have thought he was safe hiding and conducting his illicit activities in South American countries, an international team of law enforcement agencies worked tirelessly and cooperatively towards bringing him to justice."
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara said, "For more than a decade, as alleged, Daniel Barrera Barrera has operated at the center of a truly evil web spun between his narcotics trafficking organization and two violent and sworn enemy terrorist organizations. By purchasing raw cocaine paste from the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC), which he processed in laboratories in areas controlled by the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), to whom he paid fees, Barrera's behemoth cocaine organization reached an annual production rate of upwards of 400 tons, enriching itself and the two terrorist organizations it paid off, as the indictment describes. This was truly cocaine with blood in its background. With his arrival in the United States, Barrera must now answer for his alleged crimes, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners, both here and abroad, to prosecute him and other alleged titans of the transnational drug trade."
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch said, "As alleged in the three indictments on which he was extradited, Daniel "Loco" Barrera was the kingpin of a stunningly prolific Colombian drug cartel, which flooded the globe with its deadly product. Barrera also allegedly wrought destruction closer to home, working with not one but two terrorist organizations responsible for decades of death and destruction in Colombia, all to ensure his deadly business ran smoothly. His extradition to the United States marks the fall of the last don of an organization marked by its worldwide reach, ruthless criminality and staggering profits. This investigation exemplifies the global cooperation necessary to combat international drug traffickers and our commitment to dismantle these criminal organizations from the highest levels down."
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer said, "Daniel "Loco" Barrera's arrest and extradition is the direct result of strong international cooperation with Colombian authorities. It also reflects the hard work and perseverance of our law enforcement partners – both at home and abroad – whose dedicated efforts led to the capture of one of the world's most notorious drug traffickers. While Barrera evaded capture for several years, the time has finally come for him to answer for his crimes and face justice. As this case confirms, the United States will never tire in its pursuit of those who profit from the illegal drug trade."
DEA Administrator Michele M. Leonhart said, "Barrera allegedly worked with terrorist organizations in operating his drug trafficking syndicate, becoming one of the most prolific drug traffickers of the past twenty years. Charged with manufacturing upwards of 400 tons of cocaine a year, Barrera's alleged impact on the global trade of cocaine was immense – but so was DEA's response. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of our Colombian and U.S. law enforcement counterparts, Barrera's criminal career is over as he now faces charges that may bring him a life behind bars."
NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said, "If any one case epitomizes the nexus between terrorism and drug trafficking and the destructive impact on Colombian society, this is it; not to mention the crime and suffering cocaine addiction has fueled on the demand-side of the equation in the streets of New York. Barrera's extradition is a milestone, and we're indebted to the detectives, agents, and prosecutors who've made it possible."
Since 1998, Barrera has run a cocaine manufacturing and trafficking syndicate that processed approximately 30,000 kilograms of raw cocaine base each month into about the same amount of cocaine powder – in total, up to approximately 400 tons of cocaine annually.
Barrera purchased the raw cocaine base or paste from the designated terrorist group, the FARC, which has been the world's largest supplier of cocaine and which has engaged in bombings, massacres, kidnappings and other acts of violence within Colombia.
Barrera converted the raw cocaine into powder at laboratories he owned and operated in an area of Colombia controlled by the since demobilized terrorist group, the AUC. For years, the AUC's main political objective was to defeat the FARC in armed conflict, and it financed its terrorist activities through the proceeds of cocaine trafficking in AUC-controlled regions of Colombia.
Although Barrera purchased raw materials for cocaine production from the FARC, he was able to maintain his network of cocaine-processing laboratories in AUC-controlled territory, in part by paying monthly taxes to the AUC. The fees Barrera paid to the AUC also allowed him to safely move the processed cocaine through and out of Colombia, into locations on four continents – including into the U.S.
Barrera reaped tens of millions of dollars of profits from cocaine trafficking, which he laundered through illicit means.
The FARC and the AUC are both designated by the U.S. Department of State as foreign terrorist organizations.
Barrera is charged in the Southern District of New York with one count of conspiring to distribute and manufacture cocaine knowing it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. On that count, Barrera faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Barrera is charged in the Eastern District of New York with one count of conspiracy to launder money. On that count, Barrera faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Barrera is charged in the Southern District of Florida with one count of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and one count of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine knowing that it would be unlawfully imported into the United States. On those counts, Barrera faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The investigation was completed under the auspices of the OCDETF, working in cooperation with HSI New York's El Dorado Task Force, the DEA's Bogota Country Office, the DEA's Caracas Country Office, the DEA's Miami Field Division, the DEA's New York Drug Enforcement Task Force – which is comprised of agents and officers of the DEA, the New York City Police Department, and the New York State Police – as well as HSI Bogota. The Colombian National Police, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of International Affairs also provided considerable assistance.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictments are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Gay Married Man in Florida Is Approved for Green Card

The DOMA Project

Traian Popov, left, with Julian Marsh, has been approved for a permanent resident visa.

By JULIA PRESTON

Published: June 30, 2013 New York Times

An American man in Florida and his husband, who is from Bulgaria, have become the first same-sex married couple to be approved for a permanent resident visa, an immigration milestone that comes after the Supreme Court struck down a federal law against same-sex marriage.

The notice of approval of a permanent visa, known as a green card, was issued by e-mail late Friday to Traian Popov, a Bulgarian immigrant who lives with his American spouse, Julian Marsh, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The approval was evidence that the Obama administration was acting swiftly to change its visa policies in the wake of the court’s decision on Wednesday invalidating the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA.

The approval came so fast that it took the couple’s immigration lawyer, Lavi Soloway, by surprise. Mr. Soloway, who represents many same-sex couples, said he received the official message while he was attending the annual conference in San Francisco of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

“I thought, ‘Am I reading this wrong?’ ” Mr. Soloway said in an interview on Saturday. Although it was a professional setting, he said, he began to weep with emotion when he realized the significance of the notice.

The Supreme Court’s decision has had a significant impact in cases involving United States citizens who are seeking green cards for foreign spouses of the same sex. DOMA, which defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, had prohibited the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages as the grounds for any visa.

Speaking by telephone on Sunday from the couple’s home, Mr. Marsh said that he turned 55 on Friday and that he and Mr. Popov were celebrating with dinner at a Red Lobster restaurant when they received news of the unprecedented green card.

“It was just kind of a shock, like winning the lottery,” said Mr. Marsh, a music producer. “The amazing overwhelming fact is that the government said yes, and my husband and I can live in the country we chose and we love and want to stay in.”

Mr. Popov, 41, said he had been living legally in the United States for 15 years with a series of student visas. He has completed three master’s degrees, he said, and is working on a doctorate in social science at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. The couple married in New York last year, and they applied for a green card in February.

Immigration officials said the visa agency, United States Immigration and Citizenship Services, would announce new procedures early this week for same-sex binational couples seeking green cards. The first approval was also supposed to be issued this week, officials acknowledged, but eager officers at the agency pressed the button on the notice on Friday.

For the last two years, the agency has kept a list of same-sex couples whose green card petitions were denied, the officials said, anticipating that the Supreme Court would eventually weigh in on DOMA. Those denials will now be reversed without couples having to present new applications, if no other issues have arisen. Gay couples with no denials, like Mr. Marsh and Mr. Popov, will move through the system at the same pace as traditional spouses, officials said.

Mr. Popov said he would work to quickly finish his doctorate since he will now be able to seek a job legally. He and Mr. Marsh said they also planned to become same-sex marriage activists in Florida, a state that does not recognize such unions. “We are first-class citizens in New York and in the eyes of the federal government, but second-class citizens in Florida,” Mr. Marsh said. “We won’t stand for that.” 

 

If you are located in CT and have questions about immigration, call M.C. Law Group: 203-373-9080.

Supreme Court gay marriage decision helps immigration bill

Information from http://www.reuters.com

By Rachelle Younglai

WASHINGTON | Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:13pm EDT

(Reuters) - Senators who wanted a gay rights provision added to the sweeping U.S. immigration reform bill backed off on Wednesday after the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the federal law that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
The decision removes one of the last obstacles for the Senate to pass the legislation that would overhaul the country's immigration system and give millions of illegal immigrants a chance to earn citizenship over 13 years.
Senate Democrats had been under pressure to include a provision in the bill allowing citizens to petition for their foreign-born, same-sex spouses to immigrate to the United States.
That privilege had been blocked by the Defense of Marriage Act, which said that for federal government purposes, marriage was between a man and a woman. On a 5-4 decision on Wednesday, the court struck down parts of the act.
Now, legally married gay men and women will be entitled to claim federal benefits that are available to heterosexual married couples, including the ability to sponsor a foreign-born spouse for permanent residency, or a "green card."
"With the Supreme Court's decision today, it appears that the anti-discrimination principle that I have long advocated will apply to our immigration laws and binational couples and their families can now be united under the law," said Democrat Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
When Leahy's committee was working on the legislation in May, he was forced to withdraw his gay rights proposal after Republican senators threatened to reject the entire bill if the same-sex amendment was added.
Democratic Senators Charles Schumer and Richard Durbin, two of the bill's original authors, and the rest of Leahy's fellow Democrats on the committee also said they could not support the provision if it killed the bill.
On Wednesday, Leahy said: "As a result of this welcome decision, I will not be seeking a floor vote on my amendment."
It was not clear Democratic leaders would have allowed the full Senate to vote on Leahy's provision - a vote that would have been difficult when most Democratic lawmakers and a handful of Republican senators have voiced support for gay marriage.
Rather, Democratic leaders gambled that the Defense of Marriage Act would get struck down and solve the problem.
"That gamble paid off," said Fred Sainz, a spokesman for gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.
"It remains a deeply painful moment for us because we wished that our allies stood up for us. But at the end of the day, the end result is the same and (Schumer and other Democratic Senators) have been staunch allies of gay equality," he said.
The Senate is expected to vote on the final bill on Friday. The legislation would also set aside $46 billion to strengthen security at the U.S.-Mexico border and create new work visas for farm aides, unskilled laborers and the tech industry.
Before Wednesday, 12 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia allowed same-sex couples to marry. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said her department will be working to implement the high court's decision so that all married couples will be treated equally and fairly.
"At long last, we can now tell our families that yes, they are eligible to apply for green cards," said Rachel Tiven, executive director of gay rights group Immigration Equality.
The House of Representatives has yet to take up an immigration reform bill, and Republicans who control the House have voiced deep skepticism over the Senate plan.

2 arrested on drug, weapons charges after Southern Arizona stash house bust

June 21, 2013

Nogales, AZ
Data collected from ice.gov

• 
• 

NOGALES, Ariz. – Two Mexican men made their initial appearance in Santa Cruz County court Wednesday on state felony drug and weapons charges following their arrest for allegedly possessing nearly 2,500 pounds of marijuana and three firearms in a Rio Rico stash house.
Jose Luis Dominguez de la Rosa, 46, of Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico, and Paul Chavez-Portillo, 25, of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, were taken into custody Wednesday by members of the Santa Cruz County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigation Task Force, which is led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). They are charged in a criminal complaint with felony possession of marijuana for sale and felony weapons misconduct.
Task force investigators became aware of the stash house after the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office received a telephone tip Tuesday that a residence in Rio Rico was being used as a staging point for smuggled drugs. Task force members initiated surveillance on the house and observed Dominguez de la Rosa and Chavez-Portillo walking out the back door. When investigators attempted to question them, the pair took off running, but the men were quickly apprehended.
After obtaining a state search warrant, task force members entered the house and found 2,499 pounds of marijuana stacked in bales, a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, 9 mm submachine gun, .22-caliber rifle and 57 rounds of ammunition.
The case, which remains under investigation, is being prosecuted by the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office.
The Santa Cruz County HIDTA Investigation Task Force is an HSI-led, multi-agency investigative and interdiction task force in Nogales that combats organized crime in Santa Cruz County. The task force targets drug trafficking organizations and providers, local distributors, stash houses and drug transportation cells. The task force is comprised of full-time members from HSI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Border Patrol, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office and the Nogales Police Department.
A criminal complaint is simply the method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until competent evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Temporary Protected Status Extended for Salvadorans

Data collected from ice.gov
Released May 30, 2013

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of El Salvador for an additional 18 months, beginning Sept. 10, 2013, and ending March 9, 2015.
Current Salvadoran beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS status must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from May 30, 2013, through July 29, 2013. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to register as soon as possible once the 60-day re-registration period begins. Applications will not be accepted before May 30, 2013.
The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new employment authorization document (EAD). Eligible Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries who re-register during the registration period will receive a new EAD with an expiration date of March 9, 2015. USCIS recognizes that some re-registrants may not receive their new EADs until after their current EADs expire. Therefore, USCIS is automatically extending current TPS El Salvador EADs bearing a Sept. 9, 2013, expiration date for an additional six months. These existing EADs are now valid through March 9, 2014.
To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. All TPS re-registrants must also submit Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, but no Form I-765 application fee is required if the re-registrant does not want an EAD. Re-registrants do not need to pay the Form I-821 application fee, but they must submit the biometric services fee, or a fee waiver request, if they are age 14 or older. TPS re-registrants requesting an EAD must submit the Form I-765 application fee, or a fee waiver request.
TPS applicants may request that USCIS waive any or all the fees by filing a Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or by submitting a personal letter requesting these fees be waived. Failure to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee waiver request will result in the rejection of the TPS application.

HSI arrests 7-11 franchise owners in illegal alien employment scheme

Brooklyn, NY

 

Data collected from ice.gov
June 17, 2013

BROOKLYN, N.Y – Two indictments were unsealed Monday charging eight men and one woman from Long Island with conspiring to commit wire fraud, stealing identities and concealing and harboring illegal aliens employed at 7-11 Inc. franchise stores located throughout Long Island and Virginia. The charges, arrests and seizures resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, the New York State Police and the Suffolk County Police.
The defendants are Farrukh Baig, 57, and Bushra Baig, 49, a married couple who owned, co-owned or controlled 12 of the 7-11 franchise stores located on Long Island and in Virginia; Zahid Baig, 52, and Shannawaz Baig, 62, Farrukh Baig’s brothers who helped to manage and control the stores; and Malik Yousaf, 51, Tariq Rana, 34, and Ramon Nanas, 49. Brothers Ahzar Zia, 49, and Ummar Uppal, 48, indicted separately, owned and controlled two other Suffolk County 7-11 franchise stores.
Through this scheme, the defendants allegedly hired dozens of illegal aliens, equipped them with more than 20 identities stolen from U.S. citizens, housed them at residences owned by the defendants and stole substantial portions of their wages. If convicted, the defendants face 20 years in prison on wire fraud conspiracy and alien harboring charges, as well as multiple counts of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory, consecutive two-year term of incarceration. In addition, all property used to facilitate the harboring of illegal aliens, together with all proceeds of the wire fraud conspiracy and alien harboring charges, are subject to forfeiture.
The victims of the identity theft hail from seven states, ranging in age from 8 to 78 years old, and include a child, three deceased people and a U.S. Coast Guard cadet. The defendants, allegedly together with others, caused the 7-11 payroll service to transmit this false information, including the stolen identity information, to U.S. regulatory agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration.
During the scheme, the defendants allegedly generated more than $182 million in proceeds from the 7-11 franchise stores. Profits from those stores were shared by the defendants and 7-11.
"As set forth in the indictments, the defendants used 7-11 as a platform from which to run elaborate criminal enterprises. From their 7-11 stores, the defendants dispensed wire fraud and identity theft, along with Slurpees and hot dogs. In bedroom communities across Long Island and Virginia, the defendants not only systematically employed illegal immigrants, but concealed their crimes by raiding the cradle and the grave to steal the identities of children and even the dead. Finally, these defendants ruthlessly exploited their immigrant employees, stealing their wages and requiring them to live in unregulated boarding houses, in effect creating a modern day plantation system," stated U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch. "As this case shows, we are committed to preserving the rule of law and protecting our communities from the abuses of corrupt businessmen seeking to gain illegal advantage. I would like to thank our partners at HSI, New York State Police, Suffolk County Police and the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General for their hard work on this important investigation."
"The 7-11 franchises seized today will be better known for their big fraud than their Big Gulp. As alleged, the franchise owners knowingly and repeatedly employed an illegal workforce and abused and exploited that workforce for more than 13 years," said James T. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New York. "This charged criminal scheme had a vast detrimental effect on both the employees who were overworked and cheated out of wages, as well as the more than 25 American citizens whose lives were upended by the theft of their identities in furtherance of the scheme."
The indictments, arrests and seizures are the result of one of the largest criminal alien employment investigations ever conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As set forth in court filings, the government has moved to forfeit the franchise rights to ten 7-11 stores in New York and four 7-11 stores in Virginia. In the indictments, the government has also moved to forfeit five houses in New York worth more than $1.3 million. According to DHS, this case constitutes the largest criminal alien forfeiture in its history.
In addition to the charges already filed, federal agents fanned out early Monday across the country to execute multiple search and seizure warrants and inspect approximately thirty 7-11 franchise stores. The actions taken are the initial results of an ongoing investigation into the employment and exploitation of illegal aliens at 7-11 franchise stores nationwide.

Attorney Meyerovich Received AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell

M.C. LAW GROUP, LLP

MAKING IMMIGRATION HAPPEN

 203-612-5548

 Visit us on the website: www.uslegalvisa.com

Attorney Meyerovich Received AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell

On March 12, 2013 Connecticut Attorney Alex Meyerovich received the highest possible AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating from Martindale Hubbell. This is an outstanding achievement and demonstrates that  Alex Meyerovich has earned the best rating available for his legal ability and professional ethics.

Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings reflect a combination of achieving a Very High General Ethical Standards rating and a Legal Ability numerical rating.

 AV® Preeminent™ (4.5-5.0) – An AV® certification mark is a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence. Attorney Alex Meyerovich was honored to receive a rating of 4.9.

Attorney Alex Meyerovich co-founded M.C. Law Group in 2007 and remains a Managing Partner of the firm. M.C. Law Group, LLP  is a full-service immigration law firm located in Bridgeport Connecticut, handling cases in all areas of immigration and nationality law. The firm represents clients located throughout the world and all over the USA. Additionally, M.C. Law Group provides representation in family law, criminal law and business law. Please visit our website to learn  more about Attorney Alex Meyerovich, M.C. Law Group and services they provide worldwide at www.uslegalvisa.com