Former Staffing Agency Owner Sentenced to 30 Months for Harboring and Shielding Illegal Aliens

FAYETTEVILLE, AR—Conner Eldridge, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced today that Valentin Gutierrez was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison for harboring and shielding illegal aliens for financial gain as part of a scheme to sell illegal labor to companies in three states. United States District Court Judge Jimm Larry Hendren imposed the sentence and also ordered Gutierrez to pay $10,000 in fines and to serve two years’ supervised release upon his release from prison.

According to documents filed in this case, on or about November 12, 2008, Homeland Security Investigations in Fayetteville, Arkansas received information that Valentin Gutierrez was employing illegal aliens and distributing counterfeit immigration documents and counterfeit Social Security cards. An examination of Gutierrez’s financial records revealed that Gutierrez had made bank deposits in excess of $6.4 million between May 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008, from the sale of illegal alien labor to various companies in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. As a result of the ongoing financial investigation, Homeland Security seized Gutierrez’s bank accounts and forfeited approximately $117,100 that was traced to the proceeds of harboring and shielding illegal aliens. On May 10, 2012, Gutierrez entered a guilty plea to one count of harboring and shielding illegal aliens for financial gain.

This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with the assistance of task force officers from the Rogers Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Springdale Police Department. The FBI also assisted on this case. Assistant United States Attorney David A. Harris prosecuted this case for the United States.

Another Lands in Federal Prison in Alien Harboring Case

HOUSTON—The last person to plead guilty in a 10-defendant indictment has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in an organization involved in the trafficking of Mexican females for compelled service at Houston area bars and restaurants through force, fraud, and coercion, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Javier Belmontes, 48, entered a guilty plea on March 19, 2012, for conspiring to harbor Mexican nationals.

Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes handed Belmontes a 48-month prison term, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Hughes also forfeited two bars, one restaurant, and several properties that the court found were used to facilitate these crimes. The government has requested the proceeds from these forfeitures be used to aid the victims in this case.

Belmontes was charged along with nine others in a conspiracy involving the recruitment of Mexican women and girls to travel to the United States with the false expectation of legitimate jobs in bars and restaurants. The indictment, returned February 15, 2011, alleged that the conspirators further relied on the services of pimps to supply the women for use as prostitutes to maintain control of the women.

Maria Rojas, aka “Nancy,” 47, 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. Belmontes owned, controlled and operated La Costenita and El Club Restaurante, while Jose Luis Rojas, 39, operated La Costenita. Seven others were charged in the indictment with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. Maday Martinez, 35, and Evelin Carolina Aguera, 39, worked as managers, while Claudia Perez Ramirez, 28; Silvano Santos, aka “Chivas,” 33; Francisco Maradiaga Jimenez, aka “Pancho,” 35; and Olvan Ramirez Caceres, 27, worked at La Costenita as lookouts alerting police presence. The final defendant, Aleyda Juarez, 29, passed out condoms and charged the females $15 for the condom as well as use of the rooms.

Aguera, Santos, Perez Ramirez, Maradiaga Jimenez, Ramirez Caceres, and Juarez have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced. Their sentences for their roles in conspiracy to harboring illegal aliens has ranged from eight to 11 months, and all will be deported upon completion of their sentences. Martinez has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

On November 28, 2011, Maria Rojas and Jose Luis Rojas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens as well as conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. They were later sentenced to 16 years for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking in addition to 10 years for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, to run concurrently. Maria Rojas also pleaded guilty to illegal re-entry after deportation and received an additional 24 months to be served concurrently to her other sentences.

The investigation leading to the filing of criminal charges was the result of a three-year investigation conducted by members of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) in Houston, which includes the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission, Texas Attorney General’s Office, Department of State, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Houston Police Department. The HTRA was formed by the United States Attorney’s Office in Houston as part of a broader effort by the Department of Justice to concentrate and combine resources of our own office’s civil rights and organized crime units as well as federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those victimized by the traffickers. The Houston HTRA was one of the first of 42 such funded organizations and the first of its kind in Texas. The mission of the HTRA is to foster the collaboration of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies with area social service organizations to identify and assist the victims of human trafficking and to effectively identify, apprehend, and prosecute those engaged in trafficking offenses.

Assistant United States Attorneys Ruben R. Perez and Joe Magliolo prosecuted the case, while Katherine Haden handled the asset forfeiture matter.

Upper Marlboro Couple Pleads Guilty to Harboring a Filipina Woman in Home

GREENBELT, MD—Alfred Edwards, age 74, and Gloria Edwards, age 60, both of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty late yesterday to harboring an alien, specifically, a Filipina national whom they arranged to bring to the United States under false pretenses.

The guilty pleas were announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein, Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to their plea agreements, in October 1998, the couple arranged for a national of the Philippines to enter the United States under false pretenses. Gloria Edwards paid $5,000 to assist in covering the costs of the Filipina woman’s travel to, and entry into, the United States, including paying another individual to assist in securing the woman’s visa under false pretenses. Specifically, the Edwardses knew that the woman entered the U.S. without disclosing the true facts regarding the purpose of her visit or that she would be residing at their residence. The woman arrived in the U.S. in May 1999 in the company of the individual that Gloria Edwards had paid. Gloria Edwards picked the woman up and drove her to the Edwards’ home in Bowie, where she primarily resided until she left the residence in August 2009.

The Edwardses admitted that during the more than 10 years that the woman was in the United States, they took steps to fraudulently obtain permanent resident status for the woman, including arranging a sham marriage.

As part of their plea agreements, prior to sentencing, the Edwardses will pay $6,716.20 to satisfy the disputed amount relating to allegations that they misappropriated funds due to the estate of a relative. In addition, prior to sentencing, the couple will be required to transfer an amount, to be agreed upon by the parties, to be held in an escrow account controlled by their attorneys. These funds will be used to satisfy any restitution ordered by the Judge at sentencing.

The Edwardses each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. has scheduled sentencing for September 20 and 21, 2012.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Baltimore Division of the FBI for its work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein and Mr. Perez thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lenzner and Trial Attorney Cindy Chung of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, who are prosecuting the case.

Catherine Greig Pleads Guilty to Three Felonies

BOSTON—In U.S. District Court today, Catherine E. Greig pleaded guilty to three felonies in connection with the harboring and concealing of one of the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, James J. “Whitey” Bulger.

Greig, a/k/a Carol Gasko, a/k/a Carol Gasco, a/k/a Helen Marshall, a/k/a Carol Shapeton, a/k/a Mrs. Thomas Baxter, a/k/a J.L., a/k/a P.M., a/k/a N.S., a/k/a J.W., a/k/a C.L., 60, formerly of Quincy, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor a fugitive, conspiracy to commit identity fraud and identity fraud. She will be sentenced on June 12, 2012 at 2:30 p.m.

“Not for a week, not for a month, and not for a year—but for 16 long years, Ms. Greig knowingly and willingly did everything she could to prevent the capture of Mr. Bulger,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz. “The sentence that we recommend will reflect the fact that she needs to pay a heavy price for those actions.”

“It was a very important part of the agreement that Ms. Greig not profit from her life’s story, to ensure that neither she nor her family members are able to exploit for financial gain crimes that have devastated the lives of victims and their families,” added U.S. Attorney Ortiz.

“Ms. Greig has been held to account for her crimes by the persistent efforts of the FBI-led Bulger Task Force, whose investigation developed overwhelming evidence of multiple schemes she used to harbor and conceal a Top Ten fugitive,” said Richard DesLauriers, special agent in charge of the Boston Division of the FBI. “Ms. Greig may have doubted the FBI’s resolve to apprehend her, but the FBI’s resolve and that of our law enforcement partners never wavered.

“Ms. Greig was located as the direct result of an innovative media campaign purposefully crafted by the FBI to make the world a smaller place for her to hide. The FBI-led Bulger Task Force orchestrated her apprehension within two days of initiating the media campaign. Today, nearly nine months after her arrest, the victims’ families and the community know with finality that she will be held accountable for her criminal actions.”

SAC DesLauriers added, “The FBI wishes to thank the local, state, federal, and international agencies who assisted the FBI in our worldwide investigation and apprehension of Ms. Greig.”

U.S. Marshal John Gibbons, said, “The Marshals Service is pleased to have helped contribute to bringing the James Whitey Bulger fugitive investigation to a successful conclusion. The Marshals Service, as the premier fugitive investigative agency in the country, is a strong proponent of bringing those that harbor violent fugitives to justice. Catherine Greig’s guilty plea sends a strong message that this sort of crime will not be tolerated.”

“Ms. Greig played a critical role in harboring a long sought fugitive and victimized several others along the way. The IRS has remained committed to this investigation for years, and we are thankful that our contribution has helped bring one more person to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge William P. Offord of the Boston Division of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation.

At the plea hearing, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Pirozzolo stated that had the case proceeded to trial, the government would have proven that from January 1995 through June 22, 2011, Greig conspired with Bulger to take steps to prevent his discovery and arrest, even after learning that a warrant had been issued for his apprehension. Greig and Bulger posed as a married couple under different false identities. They obtained multiple means of identification to conceal their true identities, purchased necessary goods and services such as prescription medication, paid bills under an assumed name, and shopped for groceries and other necessities while living together.

Furthermore, Greig illegally obtained and used multiple identification documents including Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates of other real persons with the intent to create false identities. Additionally, authorities seized more than $820,000 cash and 30 firearms hidden inside the apartment shared by Greig and Bulger.

Greig faces a maximum of five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine on each of the three counts. She also faces an order of restitution and forfeiture of monies derived from the identity fraud.

U.S. Attorney Ortiz; SAC DesLauriers; United States Marshal Gibbons of the District of Massachusetts; SAC Offord; Kevin Lane, acting special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division; Commissioner Luis S. Spencer, Massachusetts Department of Correction; and Colonel Marian McGovern, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, made the announcement.

U.S. Attorney Ortiz and the Bulger Task Force would like to thank United States Attorney André Birotte, Jr. and his staff in the Central District of California; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Los Angeles Division; the Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration, Office of Investigations in Boston; and Boston Police Department for their invaluable assistance in this matter.

The case is being prosecuted by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack W. Pirozzolo, Assistant U.S. Attorney James D. Herbert, Chief of Ortiz’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary B. Murrane, Chief of Ortiz’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.