Thread: FL:NBC2 Investigators; Illegal Alias

Maybe all the emailing of the media is starting to pay off. This is part 1 of a three part series airing Nov 1st, 2nd, and 5th.

Maybe some eyes will open.

http://www.nbc-2.com/Blogs/investigators.shtml


Illegal Alias
By Kara Kenney on October 31st, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Sheriff’s deputies arrest suspects for committing a crime. Corrections officers lock them in jail. A judge oversees a court proceeding and sentences the suspects if they are guilty.

It’s a system that’s supposed to keep you safe from dangerous criminals. It’s a system that’s supposed to keep crime in our community to a minimum. But I uncovered the system is plagued by a huge problem - illegal immigrants giving different names to authorities each time they are arrested.

The NBC2 Investigators have uncovered illegal immigrants using multiple versions of their own name to throw law enforcement and judges off their trail.
Sometimes the names they give are a variation of their real names, other times they are completely fake.
Take Jose Mateo, for example. He’s an illegal immigrant wanted for rape and burglary. He’s also known as Jesus Mateo, Arnulfo Felix-Juan, Jesus Baltazar, and Alfredo Gonzalez.

We also uncovered a flaw in a government computer program that may be keeping deputies from recording the names of illegal immigrants correctly.
Judge Mike Carr, who we talked with in depth for this story, started noticing illegals using fake names when he took his seat on the bench in January. He took action by cracking down on attorneys who knowingly represent the same person under different names.
Judge Carr actually forced one Naples lawyer to write a legal article on his mistake. When I asked Carr why he threw the book at this lawyer, he leaned in and said “I didn’t throw the book at him. My first inclination was to throw him in jail.â€

[b]“I didn’t throw the book at him. My first inclination was to throw him in jail.â€

I am hopeful this report will cause a uproar in SW Fl. and get our local officials off their duffs and start enforcing our Immigration laws.

I really think a big part of the problem has been apathy on the part of our local officials and lack of knowledge on the part of constituents which makes us very close to becoming a sanctuary county.

Last updated on: 11/1/2007 6:38:24 PM by Kara Kenney

http://www.nbc2investigators.com/articl ... 505&z=5&p=

COLLIER COUNTY: NBC2 discovered many illegal immigrants use multiple names to stay out of jail. The problem is so bad, a local judge, the state bar and the federal government are taking action. Investigator Kara Kenney spent three months digging through records to expose how this puts your safety in jeopardy.

We discovered illegal immigrants give authorities different versions of their name when they are arrested. When that happens, it is nearly impossible to track what crimes that person has committed.

Gerardo Hernandez Guerrero was charged with driving without a license, Jeraldo Gurrero was charged with felony criminal mischief, Jorge Alejandro Hernandez was charged with no valid driver's license and Gerardo Guerrero Hernandez was charged with two DUIs and no valid driver's license.

What do all four of these men have in common? They’re all the same man, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. (see exact details, including mugshots at the end of the story)

http://www.nbc2investigators.com/articl ... 505&z=5&p=

"It is very confusing," said Lieutenant Dan Gaillardetz of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

From jails to the courtroom, the problem is growing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement knows of 92 illegal immigrants in the Collier County Jail. Digging through arrest reports, the investigators uncovered 59 had aliases.

Freddy Cruz, an illegal immigrant arrested on drug and burglary charges is also known as Carlos Cruz and Fredy Liconda. (Click here to view the booking sheet for his arrest)

http://www.nbc-2.com/News/documents/SWP ... dycruz.pdf

Hector Marquez, also known as Pelon Pelon and Jorge Martinez, is an illegal immigrant charged with domestic violence. (Click here to view the booking sheet for his arrest)

http://www.nbc-2.com/News/documents/SWP ... arquez.pdf

"Human lives are at risk here," said Collier County Judge Mike Carr.
By not knowing someone’s true identity, judges might treat dangerous criminals as first time offenders, meaning they’ll end up on our streets instead of heading to jail.
"It makes a mockery out of the justice process," said Carr.
Are suspects doing it on purpose?

"They can have two first names, two middle names, and four last names and that causes big confusion," said Gaillardetz.
Gaillardetz says it comes down to a language and cultural barrier.
But NBC2 discovered there might be another reason for the mix-up – the FBI’s own software.

The system used by Lee and other counties only accepts 32 characters, which means long names get shortened. Since different officers type in the information every time a suspect is booked, there's no consistency as to how long names are entered.

The FBI is working to update its system to allow for unlimited characters.
While that will help, some illegal immigrants still lie about their names.
"They're usually on the run. They know they're doing something wrong, they know they're here illegally, and that's their biggest fear is being deported," said Sue McCormick, Deputy Secretary in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

McCormick says her agency uses a fraud squad to weed out phony documents and expert interviewers to find out the suspect’s true identity.

"The more you dig, sometimes they can't keep their story straight," said McCormick.
Collier County just updated its fingerprint system so that every time a suspect is booked, prints are checked to see whether the person has committed any crimes under a different name.

Lee and Charlotte counties say they are doing the same thing.
Collier County is even considering getting iris scanning equipment.
It’s costly, but Major Scott Salley of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office thinks it is worth the price.

When it comes to locking up offenders, law enforcement agencies want criminals to know they can change their name, but not their identity.
Judge Carr is cracking down on attorneys who represent the same suspect under different names.

The Florida State Bar is using one of his cases as inspiration for a new rule that would prohibit attorneys from knowingly representing people who’ve used false names. They plan to discuss the issue in January

I'm sorry, but they need a 'new' rule about representing a client they know is usuing a fake name? I thought there was something about an attorney couldn't knowingly allow a client to lie under oath?

This is very good reporting on the part of Kara Kennedy. She is to be congratulated on her novel approach.

The Sheriffs Dept. must know these criminals are Illegals the first time they arrest them yet they release them instead of calling ICE.So I blame the police for not deporting them the first time they commit a crime.

I fear we are becoming a sanctuary city and the citizens of Lee Co. are not Happy at all.Crime is way up since Illegal Aliens have started pouring into this area. I am hopeful this series on NBC-2 will help turn our situation around because our lax police force is being exposed !