2 arrests made in ongoing employer-sanctions probe
by JJ Hensley - Aug. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Maricopa County sheriff's deputies arrested two more people Thursday in an ongoing fraud and identity theft investigation that centers around a trio of Valley entertainment centers.

Mirna Lorena Alonso Dorrayo, 27, and Irma Martinez Velasquez, 50, were arrested Thursday morning. Deputies suspect the two used fraudulent legal-permanent resident cards and the Social Security numbers of other people to work for Golfland Entertainment Centers, which operates Waterworld, Big Surf and Golfland in the Valley.

The arrests come nearly two months after dozens of deputies armed with search warrants and subpoenas descended on the entertainment centers, collecting hundreds of files and arresting 10 suspected identity thieves and illegal immigrants in the process.
A Maricopa County grand jury returned a 41-count indictment against nine of the employees in June.

The raids were the last in a series that came under the pretext of investigating employer-sanctions violations.

But so far sheriff's deputies have only arrested employees, a point that doesn't sit well with Sheriff Joe Arpaio's critics.

Arpaio said the investigation into executives at Golfland Entertainment Centers, who have denied any wrongdoing, is ongoing.

"We're working with the County Attorney's Office, as we have done from the initial stages, to determine if there are any violations of the employers-sanctions law," Arpaio said. "In the meantime, we are arresting the employees for violating the laws."

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