Las Cruces Hotel Owners Plead Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Illegal Aliens

Las Cruces Hotel Owners Plead Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Undocumented Aliens

U.S. Attorney’s Office
March 20, 2012 District of New Mexico
(505) 346-7274

LAS CRUCES—U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales announced that Elina Sihombing, 47, and David Girle, 55, both of Las Cruces, New Mexico, entered guilty pleas earlier today to an information charging them with two misdemeanor counts of aiding and abetting an undocumented alien to elude examination or inspection under plea agreements with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

At sentencing, Sihombing and Girle could receive up to six months of imprisonment. The defendants remain out of custody on $25,000 secured bonds pending their sentencing hearings, which have not yet been scheduled.

Sihombing and Girle, who were arrested on May 23, 2011, admitted during their plea hearings that they provided lodging, food, and other resources to two Indonesian women to help the women avoid detection by immigration officials. Sihombing and Girle admitted to housing one of the women from March 25, 2007 to January 10, 2010, and the other woman from December 2, 2008 to January 10, 2010 at the couple’s hotel, America’s Best Value Inn on Picacho in Las Cruces. At the time, the two Indonesian women were illegally present in the United States.

Under their plea agreements, Sihombing and Girle agreed to pay $7,800 in restitution to the two Indonesian women; each defendant is also required to pay a $1,000 fine. The United States agreed to dismiss the August 17, 2011 indictment against the defendants at sentencing. The indictment charged Sihombing and Girle with two felony counts of harboring illegal aliens.

The investigation was initiated by the FBI in Las Cruces and the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. The investigation received assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Las Cruces Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Cárdenas Jarvis in conjunction with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office.

FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Federal Government, U.S. Department of Justice.

FBI — Las Cruces Hotel Owners Plead Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Undocumented Aliens

The recap was included int he article.
UPDATED: Las Cruces Hotel Owners Get Probation in Alien-Aiding Case

By ABQnews Staff on Wed, Oct 3, 2012

POSTED AT: 6:34 am

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Las Cruces hotel owners Elina Sihombing, 47, and David Girle, 55, to two years of probation and ordered them to pay $15,600 in restitution to two victims in the case and fined them $1,000 each for their misdemeanor convictions for aiding and abetting undocumented alients, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Sihombing and Girle, who were arrested on May 23, 2011, both pleaded guilty in March, admitting they provided lodging, food and other resources to two Indonesian women to help them avoid detection by immigration officials, a news release said.
They admitted housing one of the women from March 2007 to January 2010 and the other from December 2008 to January 2010 at the couple’s hotel, America’s Best Value Inn on Picacho in Las Cruces, while the women were in the United States illegally.

The two were initially charged with two felony counts of harboring illegal aliens, prosecutors said.

Original article

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4:06pm 3/20/12 — Hotel Owners Plead Guilty in Nanny Slaves Case

LAS CRUCES (AP) — The owners of a New Mexico hotel have pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting illegal immigrants.
Prosecutors say 47-year-old Elina Sihombing and her 55-year-old husband David Girle were arrested last May after two nannies claimed they were enslaved and brought to the U.S. from Indonesia.

The two women claim they were forced for years to work long hours at the couple’s home and Las Cruces hotel without pay.
Authorities say Sihombing and Girle admitted to housing one of the women from March 2007 to January 2010 and the other from December 2008 to January 2010.

Under their plea agreements, Sihombing and Girle agreed to pay $7,800 in restitution to the nannies.

The couple could each could get up to six months in prison when they’re sentenced to a later date.

ABQJournal Online » UPDATED: Las Cruces Hotel Owners Get Probation in Alien-Aiding Case