Tag Archives: illegal aliens

Restaurant Owners Indicted for Illegal Alien Harboring and Mail Fraud

December 6, 2012blogharboring illegal aliens, HSI, ICE, illegal aliens, illegal employment, immigration fraud, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, indictment, IRS, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, mail fraud, US Department of Labor, US Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, work fraudAlex Meyerovich

Husband and wife restaurant owners were charged with harboring illegal aliens and mail fraud in an indictment that was unsealed Thursday, November 29, 2012, in the Northern District of Indiana. The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), IRS’s-Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General, Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

Michael McClellan, 38, and Tina McClellan, 36, of Richton Park, Ill., own and operate the Paragon Restaurant in Schererville, Ind., and T & M Daycare located in Calumet City, Ill., were charged in an indictment that was returned Oct. 17 and unsealed Nov. 29.

Michael McClellan was charged with one count of harboring illegal aliens and three counts of mail fraud. McClellan and his wife Tina McClellan were also charged with one count of making money transactions in criminally derived property.

The indictment alleges that in February 2009, and continuing until on or about March 2010, Michael McClellan harbored illegal aliens at the Paragon Restaurant and at a home he owned located behind the restaurant. He also submitted false quarterly reports which failed to account for restaurant employees he had paid in cash in a scheme to defraud the Indiana Department of Workforce Development out of unemployment insurance tax contributions.

Additionally, the indictment alleges that from 2006 through 2010 the McClellans, as owners of the T & M Daycare center, provided false information to the State of Illinois claiming that certain children had attended the daycare, when, in fact, they had not, causing reimbursements of at least $200,000 from the State of Illinois and Healthy Start program. The McClellans used the criminally derived funds to purchase the home located behind the Paragon Restaurant.

“Homeland Security Investigations holds employers accountable when they knowingly hire an illegal alien workforce to gain an unfair advantage over their law-abiding competitors. Our goal is to level the playing field for those businesses that play by the rules”, said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago.

Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell, Northern District of Indiana, is prosecuting the case.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Target Operation in Chicago Nets Over 3 Dozen Criminal Aliens

July 23, 2012blogarrests, criminal aliens, drug trafficking, DUI, ERO, felony, fugitives, ICE, illegal aliens, National Fugitive Operations Program, target operationAlex Meyerovich

As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 44 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested the week ending in July 20, 2012, during a five-day operation in the Chicago area.

This operation concluded Wednesday, July 18, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Fugitive Operations Teams in Chicago.

Of the 44 arrested, 33 had criminal convictions for crimes such as: cocaine possession, burglary, battery, assault, distributing marijuana, fraud, aggravated DUI and domestic violence. Eighteen of the 44 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; 14 of those are convicted criminals in addition to having outstanding deportation orders. Ten of the 44 – including five convicted criminals – had been previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 44 men who were arrested during this operation: Mexico (33), Poland (5), Guatemala (3), Philippines (1), Mongolia (1), Slovakia (1). Chicago had the most arrests (14); additional arrests were made in the following 23 northern Illinois cities: Aurora, Bensenville, Cicero, Des Plaines, Elgin, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park, Glenview, Highwood, Ingleside, Morton Grove, Mundelein, Naperville, North Chicago, Oswego, Park City, Park Ridge, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Schaumburg, St. Charles, Wheeling and Winfield.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

A 24-year-old Mexican national who was previously convicted of burglary and sentenced to three years in prison. He was arrested July 14. During the arrest, ERO officers discovered narcotics. He is currently facing state drug charges and is being held at the Cook County Jail with an immigration detainer.
A 43-year-old Polish national previously convicted of possessing ecstasy with the intent to deliver. He is wanted by Interpol for crimes regarding a fatal car crash inPoland. He was arrested July 17 and remains in ICE custody pending removal toPoland.

“The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE’s ongoing commitment to public safety,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director of ERO Chicago. “By arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens, we immediately improve the safety of our communities.”

These arrests were coordinated with ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives – aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation handed down by federal immigration courts. ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including members of transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.

Texas Company Accused of Harboring and Employing Illegal Aliens

May 31, 2012blogalien harboring, alien smuggling, employment fraud, HSI, ICE, illegal aliens, immigration fraud, indictmentAlex Meyerovich

A Texas firm and its field operations supervisor were charged Tuesday, May 29, 2012, with harboring and transporting illegal aliens and conspiracy to commit those offenses as outlined in an indictment by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Peter J. Smith.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with participation from the FBI and Williamsport (Pa.) Bureau of Police.

GPX/GPX, USA, a seismic surveying company based in Sealy, Texas, and its field operations supervisor, Douglas C. Wiggill, were charged with committing the offenses in Williamsport, Pa.

Court documents from the HSI investigation allege that in May 2011 GPX and Wiggill
hired 19 illegal aliens to work on a seismic surveying project in Lycoming County. The indictment alleges that GPS and Wiggill failed to verify the immigration status of the aliens and did not prepare the required Form I-9 and supporting documentation concerning the
aliens’ authorization to work in the United States.

“Homeland Security Investigations is committed to holding businesses and their managers
accountable when they knowingly hire an illegal workforce,” said John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of HSI Philadelphia. “HSI and our law enforcement partners will continue to ensure that employers follow our nation’s hiring laws, which ultimately protect job opportunities for the nation’s legal workers, and levels the playing field for those businesses that play by the rules.”

According to the indictment, GPX executed a contractor compliance agreement certifying
that all personnel were authorized to work legally in the United States when, in fact, they were not. On June 23 and 24, 2011, HSI special agents and officers of the Williamsport Bureau of Police arrested 19 aliens employed by GPX at, or in the vicinity of apartments rented for them in Williamsport by Wiggill and GPX. The arrests were the result of an investigation of one of the aliens by Williamsport police.

Wiggill, a 42-year resident of Ft. Worth, Texas, was taken into custody in Williamsport, Pa.
If convicted, he faces a maximum aggregate sentence on all 20 counts of the indictment of 100 years in prison, a fine of $5 million, a supervised release term of 60 years, and a special assessment of $2,000. GPX faces a total maximum fine of $10 million, a probation term of five years on each count, and a special assessment totaling $8,000.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Leader of Alien Smuggling Ring Sentenced

May 25, 2012blogalien smuggling, arrest, HSI, human trafficking, ICE, illegal aliens, sentencingAlex Meyerovich

The ringleader of an alien smuggling organization responsible for the death of five
people was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in federal prison May 21,
following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations special agents.

Armando Garcia-Lopez, 43, former resident of Tornillo, Texas, was sentenced in connection with an illegal alien smuggling operation that resulted in five deaths in 2004.

In January 2012, a jury convicted Garcia-Lopez of conspiracy to transport aliens
resulting in death, illegally transporting aliens resulting in death, aiding and abetting the illegal transportation of aliens, and aiding and abetting the harboring and concealing of an alien.

On April 5, 2004, Melinda O’Brien of Floydada, Texas, died as a result of a head-on collision involving her semitractor trailer and another semitractor trailer. The accident occurred in the early morning on Highway 285 about 17 miles south of Pecos, Texas.

Testimony during the January trial revealed that at the time of the accident, O’Brien was
traveling northbound in the southbound lane, while transporting six illegal aliens in the cab of her semitractor trailer. In addition to O’Brien, three aliens also died at the scene of the crash. A fifth person, Paul Wesley Wilkins, of Kermit, Texas, also died. He crashed his vehicle into O’Brien’s overturned trailer, which could not be seen because of the
weather conditions.

Evidence presented to the jury established that Garcia-Lopez recruited stash house
operators and directed drivers to transport illegal aliens. Testimony also revealed that the passengers in O’Brien’s vehicle were part of Garcia-Lopez’s smuggling operation.

Garcia-Lopez fled to Mexico following the April 2004 vehicle crash. However, seven years later he was arrested by federal authorities in Alpine, Texas. In addition to the prison term, Garcia-Lopez was ordered to pay $11,000 restitution to the Wilkins family, as
well as be placed under supervised release for five years after he completes his prison term.

Texas Company Forfeits $2 Million for Hiring Illegal Aliens

May 21, 2012blogemployment fraud, HSI, ICE, illegal aliens, immigration fraud, investigationAlex Meyerovich

ABC Professional Tree Services Inc. (ABC) has agreed to adhere to revised immigration compliance procedures and to pay $2 million as forfeited funds to the Department of Homeland Security related to revenue derived from the employment of illegal aliens. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas, along with Robert Rutt, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

For its part, the United States has agreed not to criminally prosecute the company. ABC is a Houston-based company that provides right of way vegetation management for electric utilities in more than a dozen states.

HSI agents in Birmingham, Ala., began investigating ABC in early 2008 following complaints that a significant portion of the company’s employees were undocumented aliens. In March 2008, agents conducted traffic stops on ABC crews and detained employees who were determined to be unlawfully present in the United States.

In June 2008, agents reviewed the Employment Eligibility Verification Forms (I-9s) and supporting documentation for about 2,500 employees at ABC. The inspection revealed a significant number of employees, when hired, had presented invalid personal identification information. Later, HSI agents determined that, as of the second quarter of 2009, about 30 percent of the company’s workforce consisted of undocumented aliens.

HSI agents executed a federal search warrant at ABC’s Houston headquarters on March
4, 2010, seizing documentary evidence including employment and personnel records. At that time, agents detained undocumented aliens who were on site at the headquarters. On that same day, agents in Birmingham detained more undocumented ABC employees during a traffic stop.

The government’s investigation revealed ABC had, for years, ignored federal law by falsely attesting on I-9s that work authorization documents presented by new hires appeared genuine. In addition, for several years, ABC had received notices from the Social Security Administration known as “no-match letters,” and similar information from the company’s payroll processor, both of which indicated employee names and Social Security numbers did not match SSA records.

The company failed to take corrective measures, resulting in the continued employment of the undocumented aliens. ABC derived at least $2 million in revenue from the provision of services to electrical utilities with its illegal workforce from 2006 through 2011. This figure represents the amount of money that ABC will forfeit under its non-prosecution agreement with the government.

Since becoming aware of the government’s investigation, ABC has remediated its workforce and imposed significant immigration compliance measures. Since September 2008, ABC has used E-verify, a database administered by the federal government, to verify the employment eligibility of new hires. Beginning in the fall of 2008, the company also revised its immigration compliance procedures to include new policies concerning the proper completion, retention and auditing of I-9s and for responding to SSA No Match letters. As part of its commitment to complying with the law, ABC also terminated hundreds of undocumented workers.

Assistant United States Attorney David Searle, Southern District of Texas, handled the
case.

Illegal Alien Brothers Busted for Prostitution Ring

May 11, 2012blogarrest, criminal aliens, DHS, FBI, HSI, human trafficking, ICE, illegal aliens, prostitution, sex traffickingAlex Meyerovich

An interstate prostitution ring based in Indianapolis that was operated by three brothers – all illegal aliens – has been dismantled and the brothers sentenced, announced Joseph H. Hogsett, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

This prosecution was the result of an extensive investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, including: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); FBI; the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department; the Marion County Sheriff’s Department; and the Addison (Ill.) Police Department.

Gregorio Hernandez-Castilla, 34, of Indianapolis, was sentenced May 9 by U.S. District Judge William T. Lawrence to 41 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to operate an interstate prostitution ring with his two brothers.

This follows the sentencing of both Jose Luis Hernandez-Castilla, of Indianapolis, and Norberto Hernandez-Castilla, of Chicago, to 51 months in prison each on similar charges. All three men were illegally residing in the United States.

“For years, this criminal organization moved women like human merchandise all over
this city and across the Midwest,” Hogsett said. “I am proud to announce today that we have finalized our effort to completely dismantle this dangerous group, bringing an end to their cycle of exploitation.”

According to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gayle L. Helart and Bradley P. Shepard, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Lawrence found in sentencing the Hernandez-Castilla brothers that all three had used force and the threat of force against women involved in their criminal operation in an effort to coerce their continued cooperation.

“Our office has made it a priority to aggressively prosecute individuals who capitalize on the misfortune of others,” Hogsett said. “Through the groundbreaking work of our front-line federal prosecutors, we will continue to pursue and hold accountable those found guilty of such heinous crimes.”

The Hernandez-Castilla criminal organization was headed by the three brothers and
had been operating for a number of years in the Indianapolis area, largely under the
direction of Jose Luis Hernandez-Castilla. The brothers would acquire women to act as prostitutes, on many occasions smuggling them into the United States from Mexico
and Central America. Once here, many were often without a means by which to make money, and thus would engage in prostitution so as to pay off debts they owed the brothers for subsidizing their entry into the country.

In addition, the brothers directed another group of individuals who acted as local
managers, running prostitution operations out of apartments and houses located
throughout Indianapolis and in surrounding states, including Michigan, Illinois
and Ohio. The women engaged in prostitution were rarely allowed to stay in any one location for more than a week, and the operation employed numerous drivers who would
transport the women from one site to another on a regular basis.

The organization itself operated almost exclusively within the Hispanic community,
advertising its services through the distribution of business cards bearing advertisements and telephone numbers for auto repair or western wear outfitters. These business cards were known within the Hispanic community as contact numbers for arranging appointments with prostitutes.

Each appointment, referred to as a “ticket,” cost between $40 and $50.

In addition to the Hernandez-Castilla brothers, twelve other named defendants are
facing charges for their roles in the operation. They include the following individuals, all of whom are illegal aliens and were Indianapolis residents, unless otherwise indicated:

Elvin Herrera
Hector Elizalde-Hernandez
Javier Aguilera-Sanchez (Mich.)
Fredy Arnulfo Valle-Soto
Jose Mejia
Reynel Lagos-Martinez (Ohio)
Dominga Polanco
Israel Ortiz
Jorge Armando Rodriguez-Sanchez
Julio Aguilar-Rodriguez *
Fortino Ramirez-Fernandez *
Santos Nunez *

*Note: Julio Aguilar-Rodriguez has a change-of-plea and sentencing hearing scheduled
for May 30, 2012. Fortino Ramirez-Fernandez and Santos Nunez remain fugitives at this time.

A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Six Mexican Nationals Sentenced for Identity Theft

April 30, 2012blogarrest, document fraud, HSI, ICE, identity theft, illegal aliensAlex Meyerovich

Six members of a fraudulent document organization were sentenced Friday for their roles in conspiring to commit identity theft, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Leticia Rodriguez, 40, of Mexico, was sentenced to serve 41 months incarceration for conspiring to commit identity theft, wire fraud and social security fraud.

Pastor Quihua-Gonzalez, 25, and Noe Ortega Bravo, 26, of Mexico, were sentenced to serve 27 months and 18 months incarceration, respectively, for conspiring to commit
identify theft, wire fraud and social security fraud.

Julieta Rivera Lopez, 37, and Ricardo Obispo-Martinez, 22, of Mexico, were sentenced to serve 18 months and 24 months incarceration, respectively, for conspiring to commit identity theft and sale of fraudulent social security cards.

Benlly Hernandez-Cordova, 33, of Mexico, was sentenced to serve 27 months incarceration for conspiring to commit identity theft, sale of fraudulent social security cards and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

The sentences resulted from a long-term investigation conducted by HSI that culminated August 9 with the defendants’ arrests for operating a fraudulent document manufacturing and distribution network based in Laurel, Miss., and Mobile, Ala. The HSI investigation revealed that organization members were creating counterfeit identification documents and Social Security cards using stolen identities. The defendants pleaded guilty to these offenses in February.

Four remaining co-defendants, Jose Acencio-Sanchez, 23, Enrique Martinez Lopez, 49,
Arturo Apodaca Tejeda, 40, of Mexico, and Ricardo Rodriguez, 19, of Mobile, are scheduled for sentencing in May and June.

“Fraudulent identity documents can be utilized in the full spectrum of criminal activity –
everything from illegal employment to plotting acts of terrorism,” said Raymond R. Parmer Jr., special agent in charge of HSI New Orleans. “The successful outcome of this enforcement effort reflects another example of HSI’s commitment to work alongside our law enforcement partners to investigate this type of crime to the fullest extent to ensure the safety and security of our nation.” Parmer oversees HSI activities in Mississippi,
Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Annette Williams, Southern District of Mississippi, prosecuted
the case.

Owner of Georgia Bordello Pleads Guilty to Harboring of Illegal Aliens

April 24, 2012blogFBI, Georgia, HSI, ICE, illegal aliens, prostitution, sex traffickingAlex Meyerovich

A Marietta, Ga., woman pleaded guilty Friday, April 20, to conspiracy to entice individuals to cross state lines to engage in prostitution and to encourage and induce aliens to reside unlawfully in the United States, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Cobb County Police Department.

According to court documents, Luz Gutierrez, 56, operated a house of prostitution in Marietta, in which she employed illegal aliens both as house caretakers and prostitutes. In addition to employing prostitutes who lived in Georgia, Gutierrez regularly solicited illegal alien prostitutes living in other states, including Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and Massachusetts, to travel to Georgia, where they worked for Gutierrez and Epifania Sanchez Delarosa, her co-defendant, who also allegedly operated brothels. Gutierrez also recruited
prostitutes who lived in Georgia to travel to Alabama and work for an associate of Gutierrez who owned and managed brothels in that state.

Gutierrez was indicted in December on two counts of conspiracy, two counts of enticing
individuals to cross state lines to engage in prostitution, and two counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to reside unlawfully in the United States. She pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count. She could receive a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 10 before United States District Judge Timothy C. Batten.

Five Arrested for Human Trafficking and Fatal Crash

April 19, 2012blogarrest, car crash, CBP, fatal, HSI, human trafficking, ICE, illegal aliens, sentencing, TexasAlex Meyerovich

Five of the six people arrested last week following the fatal rollover in Palmview, Texas, made their initial court appearances Tuesday, April 17 and were ordered detained pending further criminal proceedings, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

The investigation is being led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol, and the Texas police departments of Palmview and Mission.

Gloria Solis, 25, and Luis Julian Vargas, 19, both of Mission, Texas; and Alexander
Barrios-Grajales, 26, Alejandro Garcia-Nava, 18, and Jose Vega-Zapata, 35, all Mexican nationals residing in Mission, Texas, were arrested April 11. All five appeared for a detention hearing April 17, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter E. Ormsby ordered them into custody. Carmelo Diaz-Gopar, 24, of Mexico, was arrested April 10, and is set for a detention hearing April 19.

Nine of 16 aliens who had been riding inside the vehicle were killed when their vehicle was involved in a single-vehicle rollover crash. They had been picked up from the stash house where they had allegedly been harbored and were subsequently being transported to another destination within the United States.

According to court documents, CBP attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a minivan
suspected of transporting illegal aliens. The minivan initially pulled to the side of the road in Palmview, Texas. Diaz-Gopar then exited the van and ran away to elude the agents. He was apprehended shortly afterwards. The minivan driver then drove away at a high rate of speed and crashed and rolled the car just a short distance from the location of the original stop. Sixteen illegal aliens were being transported in the minivan. Nine were killed and the others were taken to local hospitals for medical treatment. Several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene of the crash.

A preliminary investigation provided HSI with information that additional illegal aliens were still being harbored at a stash house in Mission, Texas. HSI and other law enforcement agencies conducted a consensual search of the stash house and discovered 12 additional aliens in the residence, along with Solis, Barrios-Grajales and Garcia-Nava.

At the stash house location, HSI also arrested Vega-Zapata and Vargas for their
involvement in the alien harboring. Some of the illegal aliens provided statements to special agents, implicating the defendants and their involvement in the alien harboring, according to the complaint.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Requénez, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting this case.

Bar Owners in Houston Sentenced for Human Trafficking

April 11, 2012blogarrest, HSI, HTRA, human trafficking, ICE, illegal aliens, sex traffickingAlex Meyerovich

Two leaders of a sex-trafficking organization, who forced Mexican females to work at Houston-area bars and restaurants, were sentenced Monday, April 9, to federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

The criminal charges resulted from a three-year investigation by the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) in Houston, which includes the following agencies: the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Attorney General’s Office, the Department of State, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Houston Police Department.

Maria Rojas, aka “Nancy,” 47, and Jose Luis Rojas, 39, were each sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes to 16 years for conspiring to commit sex trafficking, and to 10 years for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. The sentences will run concurrently. Maria Rojas, who also pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after being deported, received an additional 24 months, which will be served concurrently with her other sentences. On Nov. 28, 2011, Maria and Jose Luis Rojas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, as well as conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

The two were charged with a conspiracy to recruit Mexican women and girls to travel to the United States with the false expectation of legitimate jobs in bars and restaurants. Once the women and girls arrived in the U.S., they were forced into prostitution in one of the defendants’ bars. The conspirators further relied on the services of pimps to supply the women for prostitution, and maintain control of the women. Maria Rojas was the owner of
La Costenita, formerly Playa Sola, as well as El Club Restaurante, formerly La Cueva Restaurante Bar, both located on Clinton Drive in Houston. Jose Luis Rojas operated La
Costenita.

Eight others were also charged in the indictment with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. Javier Guevara Belmontes, 46, also owned, controlled and operated La Costenita and El Club Restaurante. Maday Martinez, 34, and Evelin Carolina Aguera, 37, worked as managers; Claudia Perez Ramirez, Silvano Santos aka “Chivas,” Francisco Maradiaga Jimenez aka “Pancho,” and Olvan Ramirez Caceres worked at La Costenita as lookouts alerting police presence. The final defendant, Aleyda Juarez, passed out condoms and charged the females $15 for the condom and use of the rooms.

Aguera, Santos, Ramirez, Jimenez, Caceres and Juarez have pleaded guilty and have been
sentenced to terms ranging from eight to 11 months for their roles in the conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens; all will be deported after they complete their prison sentences. Martinez and Belmontes have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Judge Hughes ordered the forfeiture of two bars, one restaurant, and several properties which the court found were used to facilitate these crimes. The proceeds from these forfeitures will be used to aid the victims in this case. A hearing will be held on April 16 to address restitution in the case.

The HTRA was formed by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston to concentrate and combine resources of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers, while providing necessary
services to the victims of the traffickers. The Houston HTRA was one of the first of 42 such funded organizations, and the first of its kind in Texas.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ruben R. Perez and Joe Magliolo, Southern District of Texas,
prosecuted the case; Katherine Haden is handling the asset forfeitures.