Any "Down Easters" on the board? Read THIS ....

[CitizenBob]

Stephen King is from Bangor, but ... THIS is even more terrifying!

Owner of Mexican Store charged with visa fraud
June 29, 2007

BANGOR, Maine --A co-owner and founder of a Washington county store designed to serve the needs of the area's growing Hispanic community has been arrested by federal agents on charges of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents.

Doris Amanda Ayala Escalante, 39, made an initial appearance in court Friday. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday in U.S. District Court.

Escalante and her husband, Juan Manuel Centeno Perez, 46, opened the Mexican Store on U.S. Route 1 in Harrington in 2000. Perez has not been charged.

The couple appear to be under investigation for helping illegal aliens live and work in Washington County, the Bangor Daily News reported.

Escalante and Perez were described last week in court documents in an illegal immigration case as "labor contractors" for ISF Trading Inc., a sea cucumber processing plant in Lubec.

Authorities apparently have been investigating the couple since January 2005 when 17 illegal aliens were taken into custody after the van they were in broke down in Machias. The van, according to court documents, belonged to Perez.

The charges against Escalante allege that she had two sets of documents -- one in her real name and another under an alias.

Escalante, according to court documents, used the name Amanda Ayala Centeno in 1993 to obtain immigration documents in addition to getting a Social Security number, an alien registration number and a work permit, or green card, in her own name six years later. She allegedly updated information under both names between 2000 and 2004.

There was no indication as to why Escalante had or needed two sets of documents.

A growing number of Spanish-speaking workers have been employed in Washington County's blueberry fields, wreath-making operations, sardine factory and sea cucumber processing plant in recent years.

To meet the needs of that population, the couple opened the Mexican Store, which features a grocery store and restaurant with Latin American cuisine. The store also offers services that allow workers to send money home between harvests.

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LINK: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com

[Dixie]

Why have they been under investigation for 2.5 years? Really, what happend to swift justice.

Dixie

[nntrixie]

OH, please, tell me it isn't so?

Those 'poor hardworking people just looking for a better life'.

Someone must have made a mistake. All these people are pure as the driven snow.

We are aware of the costs of healthcare, education, auto insurance, etc., etc., that the illegals costs us. Has anyone ever truly given thought to the amount of money they cost us in crime? In picking up the pieces after they commit crime - but when they steal, destroy or defraud some company - the company just passes the cost on to the American people.

We see the story every year about how many days a year an American works to pay his taxes -

How many days a year to we work to pay for the cost of illegal aliens?

How much money is being taken from your children to pay for the illegals and their crimes?

[IndianaJones]

24 hour background check in the downed scamnesty bill proves how SERIOUS this is to our oh-mighty-rulers. Guess these folks were working hard, YEAH! working hard at commiting any crimes they please!

[CitizenBob]

Why have they been under investigation for 2.5 years? Really, what happend to swift justice.

This is why this story fascinated me, Dixie. This problem is everywhere now. Think about it ... Maine! Angela Lansbury and Cabot Cove in Murder, She Wrote!

Seriously, if there is ANY good news in this, it is that those of us who live in the border states are not ALONE anymore. That's why ALIPAC is so successful. It's a national issue now. People from all over are finally believing us because it is now a problem in their back yards too ... Lindsay Graham is in trouble in South Carolina because it is a major issue there!

When I saw this story from ... Maine of all places I thought of Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers trying to make SOMEONE believe him. It's been like that for us in California, Arizona and Texas for YEARS ... but not anymore!

[wolfbaby]

Isn't Maine a sanctuary state?

[WesternMA]

Ohhhhhhh Noooooooo...now we'll have to pay more for blueberries.

[zeezil]

A co-owner and founder of a Washington county store designed to serve the needs of the area's growing Hispanic community has been arrested by federal agents on charges of fraud and misuse of visas, permits and other documents.

When I read these stories, a thought that immediately comes to mind is...how complicit is the Mexican goverment? I firmly believe the Mexican government not only meddles in things such as influence on our politicians to write laws that benefit Mexico, request prosecution of our border agents, and actively promote illegal entry into the U.S. but they likely send well financed individuals here to set up businesses that aid and abet "their people" in our country. Not only do we need to request a Congressional inquiry into the non-enforcement of our immigration laws by our government we should also request a transparent inquiry into the meddling Mexico play in the process.

[MountainDog]

Why have they been under investigation for 2.5 years? Really, what happend to swift justice.

This is why this story fascinated me, Dixie. This problem is everywhere now. Think about it ... Maine! Angela Lansbury and Cabot Cove in Murder, She Wrote!

Seriously, if there is ANY good news in this, it is that those of us who live in the border states are not ALONE anymore. That's why ALIPAC is so successful. It's a national issue now. People from all over are finally believing us because it is now a problem in their back yards too ... Lindsay Graham is in trouble in South Carolina because it is a major issue there!

When I saw this story from ... Maine of all places I thought of Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers trying to make SOMEONE believe him. It's been like that for us in California, Arizona and Texas for YEARS ... but not anymore!

Bob, I used to live in a small mountain town in Co. (pop. 2000) and we had the same problems there.

[Americanpatriot]

Portland, Maine was declared a sanctuary city by Gov. Bull-dachi a Democrap. Maine's taxes are so high the Mainer's can't afford to live there anymore. The Democraps are trying to plan a way to tax the rain run-off too. No joke!

As far as prices on blueberries go, and all the rest of the fruits and veggies, I don't see any deals. The prices are very high and so much for the bull story about how the illegals are helping us save money in any way at all.

So when was Maine part of Mexico? Is the story going to be: Maine was part of Mexico so we are taking it back? The democraps just want to destroy a beautiful state because verything the democraps touch turns to trash.

There is a store in my town now that sells stuff all made in Mexico; when I noticed that I walked out, didn't buy anything, and never went back.