神马文学网美国大使馆回信
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INFORMATION ISSUED BY U.S. ATTORNEY‘S OFFICE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS ON JUNE 29: DUO CONVICTED OF VISA FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING IN SCHEME TO SMUGGLE ILLEGAL CHINESE NATIONALS INTO U.S. SENTENCED
863 words
29 June 2007
US Fed News
English
© Copyright 2007. HT Media Limited. All rights reserved.
HOUSTON, June 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice‘s U.S. Attorney‘s office for the Southern District of Texas issued the following press release:
Horacio H. Golfarini, 46, and Norman Chapa, 52, both of Houston, have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in an intricate scheme to smuggling Chinese nationals into the United States, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.
United States District Judge Keith Ellison today sentenced Golfarini to18 months imprisonment and fined him $5,000 fine. Chapa was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and fined $3,000.
Golfarini and Chapa along with Kenneth L. Rothey, 66, a local immigration attorney of Houston, were indicted and charged with conspiracy, visa fraud, encouraging Chinese nationals to unlawfully enter the United States, and money laundering. Rothey is a fugitive and believed to be in China. Efforts are ongoing in an attempt to secure his return to the United States.
According to the indictment, at least eight U.S. businesses were used by the defendants to act as petitioners on behalf of ten Chinese clients willing to pay to obtain permanent residence status through employment-based visas. The defendants created an illusory relationship between Chinese companies and U.S. companies by having representatives from the U.S. companies enter into contracts of sale with the Chinese companies in exchange for an initial fee. Once each of the eight U.S. companies was shown on paper as a subsidiary of a Chinese company, the defendants would prepare and present fraudulent petitions and supporting documents on behalf of their clients with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Golfarini owned and operated Capitol Services Group, a brokerage firm and has admitted that between January 1999 and December 2002, while he worked at Rothey‘s law offices, he concealed the source of the money obtained from Chinese clients willing to pay as much as $100,000 a piece for immigrant visas and work authorization. Golfarini also used the Capitol Services Group to promote the visa fraud scheme by paying recruiters who located Houston-based businesses willing to enter into contracts of sale with Chinese-based businesses; and to pay representatives of the Houston-based businesses down payments between $20,000 and $30,000 toward the purported sale.
Chapa pleaded guilty in June 2005 to conspiracy to commit visa fraud and to encourage unlawful immigration. He admitted that he and the others created two shell companies in the United States which also had an illusory relationship with a Chinese company so that Chinese nationals could obtain immigration benefits. Paperwork filed by the Rothey law firm with the government falsely representing that various Chinese clients were seeking positions with the U.S. companies as multinational executives or managers.
Rothey is charged with nine counts of encouraging unlawful immigration; twelve counts of visa fraud; and with various money laundering charges relating to financial transactions conducted with $267,000 in proceeds of the money paid to them by their Chinese clients. The Government is seeking to forfeit over $490,000 in proceeds earned from the defendants‘ visa fraud scheme. If convicted, Rothey faces up to five years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 for the immigration fraud conspiracy count; ten years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 for each count of encouraging unlawful immigration; up to fifteen years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each count of visa fraud; and up to twenty years imprisonment and a fine up to $500,000 for each count relating to money laundering. A warrant remains outstanding for the arrest of Rothey. Rothey is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.
A fourth defendant, Ricardo Aguirre, 53, Houston, was charged separately with immigration conspiracy to encourage unlawful immigration and to commit visa fraud for his involvement in the scheme. Aguirre was sentenced to five years probation and a $5,000 fine in February 2007. Aguirre worked for Rothey and admitted that he paid U.S. business owners approximately $20,000 each for creating fraudulent subsidiary relationships with Chinese companies in order to sponsor employment-based visas for Chinese clients. The payments were made as a down payment by a Chinese company to purchase a controlling interest in the U.S. company but deals were never consummated. Aguirre was paid a commission by Rothey and Golfarini for each U.S. company successfully recruited into the scheme.
Administrative action, including deportation proceedings, is being taken against all Chinese nationals who obtained or attempted to obtain immigration benefits by fraud through the Rothey law firm. The investigation was initiated in May 2001 after ICE received complaints about Rothey. Authorities subsequently executed a search warrant at Rothey‘s law office and Golfarini‘s business in July 2004. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation is conducting the investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Douglas Davis.
HTS gbsb 070630-1032400 SBAROOAH
Document INDFED0020070630e36t006j9
863 words
29 June 2007
US Fed News
English
© Copyright 2007. HT Media Limited. All rights reserved.
HOUSTON, June 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice‘s U.S. Attorney‘s office for the Southern District of Texas issued the following press release:
Horacio H. Golfarini, 46, and Norman Chapa, 52, both of Houston, have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in an intricate scheme to smuggling Chinese nationals into the United States, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle announced today.
United States District Judge Keith Ellison today sentenced Golfarini to18 months imprisonment and fined him $5,000 fine. Chapa was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and fined $3,000.
Golfarini and Chapa along with Kenneth L. Rothey, 66, a local immigration attorney of Houston, were indicted and charged with conspiracy, visa fraud, encouraging Chinese nationals to unlawfully enter the United States, and money laundering. Rothey is a fugitive and believed to be in China. Efforts are ongoing in an attempt to secure his return to the United States.
According to the indictment, at least eight U.S. businesses were used by the defendants to act as petitioners on behalf of ten Chinese clients willing to pay to obtain permanent residence status through employment-based visas. The defendants created an illusory relationship between Chinese companies and U.S. companies by having representatives from the U.S. companies enter into contracts of sale with the Chinese companies in exchange for an initial fee. Once each of the eight U.S. companies was shown on paper as a subsidiary of a Chinese company, the defendants would prepare and present fraudulent petitions and supporting documents on behalf of their clients with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Golfarini owned and operated Capitol Services Group, a brokerage firm and has admitted that between January 1999 and December 2002, while he worked at Rothey‘s law offices, he concealed the source of the money obtained from Chinese clients willing to pay as much as $100,000 a piece for immigrant visas and work authorization. Golfarini also used the Capitol Services Group to promote the visa fraud scheme by paying recruiters who located Houston-based businesses willing to enter into contracts of sale with Chinese-based businesses; and to pay representatives of the Houston-based businesses down payments between $20,000 and $30,000 toward the purported sale.
Chapa pleaded guilty in June 2005 to conspiracy to commit visa fraud and to encourage unlawful immigration. He admitted that he and the others created two shell companies in the United States which also had an illusory relationship with a Chinese company so that Chinese nationals could obtain immigration benefits. Paperwork filed by the Rothey law firm with the government falsely representing that various Chinese clients were seeking positions with the U.S. companies as multinational executives or managers.
Rothey is charged with nine counts of encouraging unlawful immigration; twelve counts of visa fraud; and with various money laundering charges relating to financial transactions conducted with $267,000 in proceeds of the money paid to them by their Chinese clients. The Government is seeking to forfeit over $490,000 in proceeds earned from the defendants‘ visa fraud scheme. If convicted, Rothey faces up to five years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 for the immigration fraud conspiracy count; ten years imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000 for each count of encouraging unlawful immigration; up to fifteen years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each count of visa fraud; and up to twenty years imprisonment and a fine up to $500,000 for each count relating to money laundering. A warrant remains outstanding for the arrest of Rothey. Rothey is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.
A fourth defendant, Ricardo Aguirre, 53, Houston, was charged separately with immigration conspiracy to encourage unlawful immigration and to commit visa fraud for his involvement in the scheme. Aguirre was sentenced to five years probation and a $5,000 fine in February 2007. Aguirre worked for Rothey and admitted that he paid U.S. business owners approximately $20,000 each for creating fraudulent subsidiary relationships with Chinese companies in order to sponsor employment-based visas for Chinese clients. The payments were made as a down payment by a Chinese company to purchase a controlling interest in the U.S. company but deals were never consummated. Aguirre was paid a commission by Rothey and Golfarini for each U.S. company successfully recruited into the scheme.
Administrative action, including deportation proceedings, is being taken against all Chinese nationals who obtained or attempted to obtain immigration benefits by fraud through the Rothey law firm. The investigation was initiated in May 2001 after ICE received complaints about Rothey. Authorities subsequently executed a search warrant at Rothey‘s law office and Golfarini‘s business in July 2004. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation is conducting the investigation. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Douglas Davis.
HTS gbsb 070630-1032400 SBAROOAH
Document INDFED0020070630e36t006j9