Thread: 2 Illegal Immigrants Charged In Boy's Kidnapping

2 Illegal Immigrants Charged In Boy's Kidnapping
ICE Agents Say Men Kidnapping Boy To Extort Money From Mother

POSTED: 3:55 pm EST November 5, 2008


PHOENIX -- Federal authorities said they have foiled a plot by two illegal immigrants suspected of holding a 4-year-old West Palm Beach boy hostage as a way to extort money from his mother.

Marlene Garcia, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, alerted the West Palm Beach Police Department after she received telephone calls threatening her son's life and demanding money, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents said Wednesday.

Police then notified ICE's Office of Investigations in West Palm Beach, whose agents were able to track the alleged kidnappers to the Phoenix area. ICE agents in Phoenix rescued the boy and arrested two suspects in his kidnapping Oct. 21 at a Mesa, Ariz., hotel.

Marcelino Ramirez-Velasquez, a 34-year-old citizen of Guatemala, and Jose Luis Torres-Pais-Paez, a 25-year-old Mexican citizen, each face kidnapping and extortion charges. They were both indicted by a Maricopa County, Ariz., grand jury Oct. 31.
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http://www.wpbf.com/news/17908390/detail.html

It doesnt look like illegal immigrants are afraid to report crimes. Thank goodness that mother turned those scoundrals in.

I'm so afraid we are going to hear more and more about stuff like this.

Florida mother, U.S. Immigration authorities foil kidnapping of 4-year-old

THE PALM BEACH POST • November 6, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH — Two men kidnapped an undocumented immigrant's 4-year-old son, held him in Phoenix, and demanded money from the boy's mother, federal officials said.


But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Arizona foiled the kidnapping plot, according to an agency statement circulated this afternoon.

Marlene Garcia, who travelled from Guatemala to cross the U.S. border illegally, called West Palm Beach police after her son's kidnappers called and threatened to kill the boy. Police passed the call to West Palm Beach immigration officials, who contacted their Phoenix counterparts, the statement said.

Immigration agents eventually tracked the kidnapped child to a hotel room in Mesa, Ariz., where they arrested Marcelino Ramirez-Velasquez, 34, of Guatemala and Jose Luis Torres-Pais-Paez, 25, of Mexico on charges of kidnapping and extortion.

A Maricopa County grand jury indicted both men on Friday.

Garcia couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Federal authorities had previously identified Ramirez-Velasquez, who was deported from Tucson in 2004, as a human smuggler, court records indicate.

In April 2007, Ramirez-Velasquez was arrested after New Mexico State Police in Tucumcari, N.M., caught him hauling 15 undocumented Mexicans and Guatemalans in a 1999 Chevrolet Astrovan.

"Ramirez was going to transport the aliens to Amarillo, Texas and other destinations on the east coast of the United States to look for work," his criminal complaint stated.

www.news-press.com

Illegals hold 4-year-old for ransom

Alien mother hires previously deported human smuggler to bring boy to U.S.

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Posted: November 06, 2008
11:15 pm Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily


Two illegal aliens suspected of kidnapping a 4-year-old boy and holding him for ransom in the U.S. have been arrested by immigration authorities, ICE announced today.

Marcelino Ramirez-Velasquez, 34, of Guatemala, and Jose Luis Torres-Pais-Paez, 25, of Mexico are being charged with kidnapping and extortion, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

The boy's mother, Marleni Garcia-Velasquez, also an illegal alien, had hired smugglers to bring her son into the United States from Guatemala four months ago. The men picked the boy up at his uncle's house and brought him to a hotel in Mesa, Ariz., where they demanded $3,000. If his mother refused to pay, they said they would harm him.

Garcia-Velasquez notified West Palm Beach police on Oct. 21. Armando Garcia, assistant special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Phoenix, told the Sun-Sentinel the boy is in good health. He has been put in foster care pending DNA test results to verify he is Garcia-Velasquez' son. Garcia said if tests show the woman is his mother, they will be reunited in a week.


This is not Ramirez-Velasquez' first violation. He was deported in 2004 for human smuggling, the Palm Beach Post revealed. He was arrested again in 2007 by New Mexico State Police for transporting 15 illegal aliens from Mexico and Guatemala into the U.S.

According to the report, his criminal complaint stated, "Ramirez was going to transport the aliens to Amarillo, Texas and other destinations on the east coast of the United States to look for work."

The suspected kidnappers were indicted by a Maricopa County, Ariz., grand jury on Oct. 31.

ICE agents also detained Garcia-Velasquez for violating immigration law. She has been released with an order to appear before an immigration judge.


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