Tag Archives: immigration fraud

Chicago Woman Arrested for Selling Fraudulent Identity Documents to Illegal Aliens

February 22, 2013blogarrest, benefits fraud, criminal alien, deportation, detention, Green Card, HSI, ICE, identity fraud, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, Permanent Resident Card, removal, USCISAlex Meyerovich

A woman was arrested Wednesday, February 13, 2013, on charges she allegedly sold fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens. These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Allison Mendez, 32, of Melrose Park,Ill., was arrested Feb. 13 and charged in a criminal complaint with selling false identification documents.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, between May 2012 and Jan. 2013 Mendez allegedly sold nine sets of false identification documents on six occasions. A set included a counterfeit U.S. permanent resident card (green card) and a counterfeit social security card.

During the course of the investigation, cooperating witnesses posing as customers allegedly placed orders for false documents with Mendez by sending her a text message with the photograph and the biographical information they wanted to appear on the documents. Mendez then delivered the completed documents to customers, charging between $80 and $110 for a set of counterfeit cards, according to the complaint.

The complaint also alleges that during a recorded conversation with a cooperating witness, Mendez stated she had been in the counterfeit document business for about 15 years and that her software program could make social security cards, insurance cards, green cards and drivers’ licenses.

HSI was assisted in this investigation by the Chicago Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, with additional support provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and the Addison Police Department.

If convicted, Mendez faces up to 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. As an illegal alien from Nicaragua, Mendez will be placed into deportation proceedings upon conclusion of her criminal case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Young, Northern District of Illinois, is prosecuting the case.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Florida Resident Arrested for Immigration and Citizenship Fraud

February 4, 2013blogcitizenship, citizenship fraud, deportation, detention, Green Card, Haiti, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, immigration fraud, Naturalization, Permanent Resident, removalAlex Meyerovich

A federal indictment was unsealed Wednesday, January 30, 2013, charging a Tampa man with making false statements in connection with his naturalization application. The indictment is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to the indictment, Georges Jean-Philippe, 48, aka Benedique Jean-Philippe, made false statements on his naturalization application to become a U.S. citizen. During his application for citizenship, Jean-Philippe, a citizen of Haiti, withheld information that he had previously been ordered deported from the United States under a different name. As a result, in 2008, he illegally obtained U.S. citizenship under a name different from the one he used in his initial dealings with U.S. immigration authorities.

HSI special agents arrested Jean-Philippe at his home Wednesday, January 30, 2013. A federal judge ordered him detained and held without bond.

New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Producing Green Cards and Government Documents

February 1, 2013blogbenefit fraud, document fraud, false government identification cards, fraudulent Green Card, Green Card, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, Social Security Card, Social Security fraud, USCISAlex Meyerovich

An Ocean Township, N.J., man pleaded guilty Monday, January 14, 2013, to the manufacture and sale of fraudulent government documents. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison. The guilty plea is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Ocean Township Police Department.

Lucio Medina-Sanchez, 37, of Ocean Township, pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing false government identification and two counts of selling false government identification.

According to court documents, HSI special agents and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at Medina-Sanchez’s residence Feb. 2, 2012. The search resulted in the seizure of computers, laminates and other material used to create the false documents.

The investigation revealed Medina-Sanchez was manufacturing false government identification cards including Social Security cards and U.S. permanent resident cards – commonly known as green cards – inside his township apartment.

Medina-Sanchez required his customers to provide him with a passport-sized photo and a name and birth date of their choosing. The payment was determined by the type of document he manufactured.

Sentencing is scheduled in March 2013.

Mexican National Convicted for Drug Trafficking and Immigration Charges

December 19, 2012blogarrest, cocaine, cocaine trafficking, conspiracy, deportation, detention, drug trade, drug trafficking, HSI, ICE, immigration charges, immigration fraud, indictment, removalAlex Meyerovich

A federal grand jury Wednesday, December 12, 2012, returned a guilty verdict against a local resident on cocaine trafficking and immigration charges after a two day trial. The case was investigated by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Godofredo Barraza-Flores, 32, and co-defendant Carlos Ramirez-Talamantes, 23, both Mexican nationals, were charged in July 2011 in a four-count indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and four cocaine-trafficking offenses. Ramirez-Talamantes was arrested July 22, 2011, and entered a guilty plea March 23.

Barraza-Flores has been in federal custody since his Aug. 30, 2011 arrest. On Sept. 5, 2012, Barraza-Flores was charged in a five-count superseding indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, distributing cocaine and re-entry into the United States by a previously deported alien.

Barraza-Flores’ trial on the superseding indictment began Dec. 12. The evidence established that an undercover New Mexico State Police officer bought multi-ounce quantities of cocaine from Ramirez-Talamantes inAlbuquerqueon three occasions: (1) two ounces March 29, 2011, (2) three ounces April 6, 2011, and (3) five ounces May 3, 2011. Immediately before and after each of these three drug deals, surveillance officers observed Ramirez -Talamantes meet with Barraza-Flores.

When he was arrested May 17, 2011, Ramirez-Talamantes possessed nine ounces of cocaine that he intended to sell to the undercover officer, and which he said belonged to Barraza-Flores.

While Ramirez-Talamantes was being interviewed by officers, he received a telephone call from Barraza-Flores. The two talked about how Ramirez-Talamantes would deliver the money from the nine ounce cocaine deal to Barraza-Flores. Shortly thereafter, another man met with Ramirez-Talamantes at the location agreed upon by Barraza-Flores and Ramirez-Talamantes. When questioned by officers, the man said that Barraza-Flores had instructed him to collect a quantity of money from Ramirez-Talamantes.

The jury also learned that Barraza-Flores previously had been deported in February 2006, and had illegally re-entered the United States without obtaining authorization, which is a felony.

The jury deliberated about two and a half hours before returning a guilty verdict on all five counts of the superseding indictment.

Barraza-Flores remains in federal custody pending his sentencing hearing, which has not been scheduled. At sentencing, Barraza-Flores faces up to 20 years of imprisonment and a $1 million fine. He will be turned over to ICE and will be placed in removal proceedings after he completes his prison sentence.

On Aug. 16, 2012, Ramirez-Talamantes was sentenced to a 37-month term of imprisonment. He also will be deported after he completes his prison sentence.

The New Mexico State Police, the Region III Narcotics Task Force, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection also participated in the investigation.

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.

ICE and PRPD Target Operation Arrests 13 for Identity Theft and Document Fraud in Puerto Rico

November 27, 2012blogarrest, CBP PRPD, criminal alien, DHS, document fraud, fraudulent tax returns, HSI, ICE, identity theft, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, IRS, Puerto Rico, SJPD, Social Security Card, tax fraudAlex Meyerovich

Thirteen individuals indicted for document fraud and identity theft related charges were arrested Friday, November 16, 2012, in the municipalities of Bayamon, San Juan, and Carolina, Puerto Rico. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, worked jointly with the Internal Revenue Service, Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) and San Juan Police Department (SJPD) officers in an operation dubbed Game Over.

“Document and identity fraud pose a severe threat to national security and public safety because they create a vulnerability that may enable terrorists, criminals and illegal aliens to gain entry to and remain in theUnited States,” said Angel Melendez, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. “HSI has partnered with federal, state and local counterparts to create the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, a series of multi-agency teams developed to target criminal organizations and beneficiaries behind these fraudulent schemes.”

The case involves a scheme to defraud the United States by fraudulently obtaining and converting to cash U.S. Treasury checks issued in connection with fraudulent tax returns filed with the agency. As part of the scheme, tax returns were filed using the personal identifying information of individuals, when in reality, said individuals never filed such tax returns with the IRS. The investigation has revealed that the fraudulent tax returns were filed without the consent of the taxpayers who appear in the returns.

The investigation also uncovered a scheme used by some of the defendants to obtain legitimate, counterfeit or altered Puerto Rico birth certificates, Social Security cards and driver’s licenses to facilitate the movement of illegal aliens already in Puerto Rico to the continental United States.

Those arrested are:

Alexander Compres-Rubio
Raquel Custodio
Jose M. Vega-Rivera
Fernando Rosa
Nidia Muñoz
Eduvigis Rodriguez
Salustiano Olivo
Damaris Hernandez
Jose Javier Serrano
Wander Carrasco
Mercedes de la Cruz
Norwin Santana
Julio Peralta

ICE encourages the public to report document and benefit fraud and related information by calling 1-866-DHS-2ICE.

Former Lawyer Sentenced for Visa Fraud, Money Laundering, and Obstruction of Justice

November 21, 2012blogcriminal proceeds, DHS, guilty plea, H1-B visa, HSI, ICE, immigration fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, US Treasury, USCIS, USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Unit, visa fraudAlex Meyerovich

The onetime head of a now defunct Los Angeles law firm was sentenced Thursday, November 15, 2012, to 10 months in prison for his role in orchestrating a lengthy employment visa fraud scheme where the illicit profits were used to purchase several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of vacant cemetery plots and grave monuments.

Joseph Wai-Man Wu, 53, former president of the East West Law Group, pleaded guilty in August 2011 to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of money laundering and one count of obstruction of justice. As part of a plea agreement reached in February, Wu surrendered a portion of his profits derived from the visa fraud scheme, forfeiting to the government 30 vacant cemetery plots and 20 grave monuments, all of which were purchased with proceeds from the scam. Wu used the cemetery plot purchasing scheme to launder some of the money he unlawfully obtained through the visa fraud scheme. The grave plots will now be sold at public auction and the proceeds given to the U.S. Treasury.

Wu’s sentencing is the latest development in a 2 ½-year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that also involved the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security Unit.

In pleading guilty, Wu admitted that, from approximately 1996 to 2009, he and other members of the law practice set up nearly a dozen shell companies in order to file at least 137 fraudulent employment-based visa petitions for nearly 100 alien clients. In return for filing those fraudulent petitions, the clients paid Wu and his co-conspirators anywhere from $6,000 to $50,000. Many of the petitions were for H-1B visas, which the government reserves for foreign workers with specialized skills, such as accountants and information technology professionals. Authorities say the aliens named in those visa applications never worked for the defendants or the fictitious companies.

“Our agents encounter a lot of unusual money laundering schemes, but this is the first time we’ve come across a case where the suspects sought to bury their profits by buying cemetery plots,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “As this case makes clear, HSI will go where ever the evidence takes us to ensure that those who compromise the integrity of the visa process are held accountable for their crimes.”

The other two defendants charged in the case were Kelly Einstein Darwin Giles, 49, the only attorney at the former East West Law Group, and Wu’s wife, May Yim-man Wu, 46. Giles, who pleaded guilty Sept. 19 to conspiracy to commit visa fraud and obstruction of justice, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 17, 2013. May Wu, who played a minor role in the conspiracy, is participating in a pretrial diversion program.

Prosecutors say the case represents the first time in the Central District of California where federal investigators uncovered a scheme involving the purchase and sale of cemetery plots as a means to launder criminal proceeds. While the situation is highly unusual, funeral professionals claim grave sites appreciate at a rate of up to 10 percent a year and are less susceptible to economic downturns than other types of real estate.

Man Arrested for Impersonating ICE Officer, Threatened and Defrauded Immigrants

October 22, 2012blogblackmail, CBP, deportation, detention, DHS, DHS officer, FBI, federal fraud, fraud, HSI, ICE, ICE officer, illegal immigration, immigration application, immigration forms, immigration fraud, impersonating federal official, legal immigration, OPR, removal, Transportation Security Administration, victimsAlex Meyerovich

A New Jersey man was arrested Oct. 12, 2012, on charges of falsely impersonating a federal officer in order to defraud aliens seeking immigration assistance. The arrest is the result of an investigation being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

Ruben Alvarado, 27, of Elizabeth, N.J., is charged with one count of impersonating a federal officer and one count of identification document fraud.

According to court documents, from September 2009 through May 2011, Alvarado pretended to be an officer or employee acting under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE and the Transportation Security Administration. Alvarado targeted victims, via Facebook and in person, who desired to obtain federal employment, legal status, or work or travel authorization in the United States.

Alvarado would provide his victims false approvals of their applications, often on forms inappropriate to the relief requested, that bore his signature as a purported officer of the United States. Alvarado would threaten victims who complained that the materials were not genuine by saying that his position at ICE vested him with the power to have them and their children deported. Alvarado took no action to further his victims’ legal or employment status, but demanded and obtained payments from his victims totaling more than $17,000.

If convicted of the impersonation charge, Alvarado faces three years in prison, and on the identification document fraud charge, 15 years in prison. Both also carry a maximum fine of $250,000.

Assisting OPR in the investigation was the DHS Office of Inspector General in Miami, Fla., and the Union County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office.

MS-13 Gang Officially Designated a Transnational Criminal Organization by HSI

October 12, 2012blogcriminal activities, Department of Justice, Department of the Treasury, DHS, drug trafficking, gang, gang activity, homicide, HSI, human smuggling, human trafficking, ICE, immigration fraud, MS-13, murder, National Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime, Operation Barbed Wire, Operation Community Shield, racketeering, sex trafficking, street gang, TCO, transnational criminal organization, violenceAlex Meyerovich

On Thursday, October 11, 2012, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) with the assistance of the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) designated the Latin American gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) as a transnational criminal organization (TCO). This group is being designated by Treasury pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13581, which targets significant TCOs and their supporters. E.O. 13581 is a key part of the National Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime.

Using the authority provided in E.O. 13581, Treasury is targeting the economic power of MS-13 as a transnational criminal network – and those individuals and entities who work with them, enable them and support them – by freezing any assets those persons may have within U.S. jurisdiction. Any property or property interests in the U.S., or in the possession or control of U.S. persons in which these targets have an interest are blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

“This designation allows us to strike at the financial heart of MS-13 and is a powerful weapon in our fight to dismantle one of the most violent, transnational criminal organizations operating today,” said ICE Director John Morton. “History has proven that we can successfully take down organized crime groups when we combine sophisticated investigative techniques with tough street level enforcement, cutting off cash flows, contraband and collaborators to ensure they no longer find safe haven in our communities.”

“MS-13 is an extremely violent and dangerous gang responsible for a multitude of crimes that directly threaten the welfare and security of U.S. citizens, as well as countries throughout Central America,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen stated. “This action positions us to target the associates and financial networks supporting MS-13, and gives law enforcement an additional tool in its efforts to disrupt MS-13’s activities.”

MS-13 is being 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, consisting of at least 30,000 members and present in at least five countries, including the United States, is one of the most dangerous criminal gangs in the world today. MS-13 violently protects its illicit interests through murder, murder for hire, kidnapping, blackmail, extortion and assassination. MS-13’s creed is exemplified by one of its mottos, “mata, roba, viola, controla,” which translates in sum and substance to “kill, steal, rape, control.” In addition, MS-13 members have been responsible for numerous killings within the United States.

The HSI National Gang Unit will take the law enforcement lead, under this MS-13 enforcement effort dubbed, “Operation Barbed Wire.” The National Gang Unit removes gang members from our neighborhoods and, when appropriate, from the United States. In 2005, HSI initiated Operation Community Shield, an international law enforcement initiative to enhance U.S. public safety. Operation Community Shield partners with existing federal, state and local anti-gang efforts to identify violent street gangs and develop intelligence on gang members and associates, gang criminal activities and international movements, to arrest, prosecute, imprison and/or deport transnational gang members as well as to suppress violence and prosecute criminal enterprises. The National Gang Unit’s goal is to deter, disrupt and dismantle gang operations by tracing and seizing cash, weapons and other assets derived from criminal activities. Since 2006, HSI has arrested 4,078 MS-13 gang members and, partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice, has successfully brought to indictment numerous MS-13 racketeering investigations in Washington, D.C., Virginia, New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Atlanta.

MS-13 is the first transnational criminal street gang designated as a TCO. Others TCOs include the The Brothers’ Circle, Camorra, Yakuza, and Los Zetas in the United States.

9 Indicted for Alien Harboring and Immigration Fraud Conspiracy

October 2, 2012blogalien harboring, alien smuggling, arrest, conspiracy, DHS, employment fraud, HSI, ICE, illegal alien, illegal immigration, immigration fraud, indictment, USCISAlex Meyerovich

Nine people from Rapid City and the surrounding Black Hills community were indicted Thursday, September 27, 2012, by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to harbor aliens and harboring aliens. Four of the nine individuals are charged with an additional count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

The indictments resulted from a criminal investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in partnership with the following agencies: U.S. Forest Service, Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General, Custer County Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

“Today’s law enforcement operation sends a strong message that HSI and our law enforcement partners are ever vigilant against those seeking to manipulate the system to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors,” said Michael Feinberg, special agent in charge of HSI St. Paul, which covers South Dakota. “The combined resources of a joint federal, state and local law enforcement operation present a formidable obstacle to any criminal enterprise seeking to harm hard-working citizens and American business interests.”

The following indictments have been handed down:

Angel Munoz-Escalante, owner and operator of Munoz Logging and Construction Company, Rapid City, South Dakota– charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Barbara Munoz, owner and operator of Munoz Logging and Construction Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Christina Pourier, bookkeeper of Munoz Logging and Construction Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Mario Rangel, manager for Munoz Logging and Construction Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Aurelio Munoz-Escalante, owner and operator of the Black Hills Thinning Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Miguel Soto, foreman for the Black Hills Thinning Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Rogelio Escalante, owner and operator of the Escalante Logging Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Sergio Munoz-Escalante, owner and operator of the SM Logging Company – charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.
Benjamin Munoz-Botello, owner and operator of Benja’s Mexican Store, a grocery and licensed money-transmitting and check-cashing business – charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor aliens and one count of harboring aliens.

Seven of those indicted were arrested Sept. 27.

“The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to enforcing our nation’s immigration laws. This includes limiting the demand for undocumented workers by prosecuting employers who knowingly hire illegal workers,” said Johnson.

The alleged fraud is in connection with contracts entered into with the U.S. Forest Service. Conspiracy to defraud the United States is punishable by a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years’ supervised release (a violation of condition of release could result in two years’ additional incarceration on any such violation); a $100 assessment fee; and restitution.

Conspiracy to harbor aliens and harboring aliens is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both; three years’ supervised release (a violation of condition of release could result in two years’ additional incarceration on any such violation); a $100 assessment fee; and restitution.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and all of the individuals named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.