Thread: KS-Jurors get immigration fraud case

Jurors get immigration fraud case





Associated Press - August 12, 2008 1:54 PM ET

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Jurors have begun deliberating the immmigration fraud case of a self-proclaimed grand chief of the Kaweah Indian Nation.

The U.S. District Court jury received the case against 70-year-old Malcomb Webber early Tuesday afternoon. Webber had been expected to take the stand Tuesday but declined to do so, and the defense rested without calling any witnesses.

Webber is charged with selling memberships costing $50 to more than $1,000 apiece to legal and illegal immigrants by falsely claiming tribal membership conferred U.S. citizenship and other benefits.

Before the case went to the jury, defense attorney Kurt Kerns gave jurors a transcript and recording of a July 2006 grand council meeting where Webber reportedly said of the tribal memberships was not to make money, but help people.



http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?S=8828655

JOLLY LET'S JUST LET EVERYONE IN THE WORLD IN;

QUIT PAYING TAXES;

AND OF COURSE DO AWAY WITH THE RULE OF LAW;

WE ARE ACCOMPLISHING 2 OUT 3 ALREADY ABOVE!

SO IF AMERICANS QUIT PAYING TAXES - THE LAST THIRD!

WE WILL TRULY BE IN A HELL OF A PLACE

He's screwed....

and any idiot who believed this guy could give them U.S. citizenship deserved to lost his money



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©2008 Google - Map data ©2008 NAVTEQ™ - Terms of UseJury finds self-proclaimed Indian chief guilty
By ROXANA HEGEMAN – 2 hours ago

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The leader of a group that claims to be an American Indian tribe was convicted Wednesday of defrauding immigrants by falsely telling them tribal membership would make them U.S. citizens.

Malcolm Webber was found guilty on six federal charges arising from the unrecognized tribe's efforts to sell memberships. The jury acquitted him on a conspiracy count.

U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown will decide how much money Webber must forfeit. Prosecutors estimate the fraud at about $1.2 million. Sentencing was set for Nov. 3.

Prosecutors argued that Webber, 70, marketed memberships in the Kaweah Indian Nation by telling immigrants the tribal identification documents could be used to get Social Security cards, U.S. passports, health care benefits and driver's licenses.

Webber's attorney, Kurt Kerns, argued that his client had no criminal intent and only sought to help undocumented immigrants become legal residents.

The defense called no witnesses during the trial.

Webber, who remains free on bond, was convicted on two counts of harboring illegal immigrants, two counts of possession of false documents with intent to defraud the United States, one count of conspiracy with intent to defraud the United States and one count of mail fraud.

He showed no emotion as the verdicts were read. Kerns declined to comment afterward.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson told jurors the Kaweah Indian Nation is Webber's invention.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs ruled in 1984 that the Kaweah group had no historical link to American Indian tribes and that Webber — who calls himself Grand Chief Thunderbird IV — is not an Indian.

Even if it were a legitimate tribe, immigrants cannot obtain legal immigration status by joining a tribe.

U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said it was important to prosecute cases to protect immigrants.

"These people were defrauded of money on a faulty promise that it would improve their immigration status," he said. "They were also victims and I think part of the justice in this case was protecting people."

Federal prosecutors charged the tribe and 11 people last year. Charges have been dismissed against the tribe and two defendants, one remains a fugitive and seven others have pleaded guilty to reduced charges.

Robert Visnaw, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testified that agents seized Kaweah enrollment rolls with the names of 13,142 people, plus an additional 2,000 to 3,000 applications that had not yet been processed.

Visnaw testified he had compared 1,000 of those memberships with ICE databases, and it appeared only 4 percent to 5 percent were lawful residents or citizens.

Roger Nunemaker, a longtime friend of Webber who watched part of the trial, said the government's case did not convince him that Webber had done anything illegal. But he now doubts that Webber was a real Indian chief and wonders about the $30,000 a day the tribe raked in, according to trial testimony.

"Where did the money go?" he said. "It just left me with more unanswered questions."
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