Thread: Fed judge slams feds for not charging illegals employers

Federal judge slams feds for not charging illegal immigrants' employers
By: Freeman Klopott

August 14, 2009 A federal judge in Alexandria gave no prison time to a man convicted of harboring illegal immigrants for profit, saying prosecutors should have targeted the wealthy families in McLean and Potomac who employed the illegals he provided.

"This is why we have problems with illegal immigrants in this country," said U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. "There is unequal enforcement of the laws, particularly when it comes to employers."

Prosecutors had argued that Soripada Lubis of Falls Church should face nearly five years in prison for harboring the 20 women who lived with him over eight years and not letting them leave. In court documents and in arguments made in court Thursday, prosecutors painted a picture of Lubis as abusive. Relying on statements from eight of the women, prosecutors said Lubis sexually abused two of them and threatened to kill their families if they fled.

But Lee said he didn't agree that the women had been victims of "human trafficking." The judge sentenced Lubis to three years of probation and required him to pay back $2,000 he took from two of the women.

Lubis pleaded guilty to harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain in February. Agents pulled eight women from his house in an October raid. The women, according to testimony, are still in the United States and have not been charged with breaking immigration laws. Some of them are still working for their employers and have received special visas for trafficking victims who testify in criminal cases.

Lee said he was "troubled by how in this case I'm being asked to send [Lubis] to prison when [the women] stayed with Miss [Ellen] Ottenstein, Miss [Jill] Martin and Miss [Brauna] Schwartz for five days a week and only weekends with you." In court documents, prosecutors listed 50 employers in McLean and Potomac who hired women from Lubis for domestic work.

Ottenstein said in court Thursday that she knew the woman she hired from Lubis was an illegal immigrant. The woman lived and worked at Ottenstein's house in Potomac for the past seven years. Ottenstein eventually helped the woman leave Lubis' house. Later, when Ottenstein learned of the charges pending against Lubis, she called the FBI to report her employee's case. Ottenstein said no one from the government expressed concern that she had acted outside the law.


fklopott@washingtonexaminer.com

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/53176042.html

They all need to be in prison, even the JUDGE!

"This is why we have problems with illegal immigrants in this country," said U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee. "There is unequal enforcement of the laws, particularly when it comes to employers."

How much are "We the People" paying this Judge? $200,000 plus benefits? Has this Judge got a free membership to the local YMCA on the taxpayers pennies? There is a post in archive about YMCA free programs for JUDGES.

vmonkey,

I actually think the judge got it right this time. He said the rich women that hired these workers are getting off without any punishment, while this guy who acted as an employment agent is getting the book thrown at him. Even the last comments are from one of them that called the FBI when this started going down to cover her own ass. She claims she didn't know...

Lee said he didn't agree that the women had been victims of "human trafficking."

Yet

The women, according to testimony, are still in the United States and have not been charged with breaking immigration laws. Some of them are still working for their employers and have received special visas for trafficking victims who testify in criminal cases.

In this case, Lubis is the middle man.

Dixie

Crime - Do the Time! Everyone. Why is this U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee allowed not to punish for a CRIME because someone else is not in front of him for other CRIMES? "WE THE PEOPLE" will get the others, too! And then is another JUDGE like Lee going to go the opposition way. ALL GO TO PRISON AND PAY! This Judge needs to checked out, immediately!

The courts are guilty of aiding and abetting illegal immigration.

vmonkey,

You're right, there are some bad immigration judges. Obama's aunt should have been thrown out of the country.

Also, the judge can only try cases that are broght before him by the prosecution so the US government didn't prosecute those people who hired the illegal aliens to clean their houses, just the "employment agent". I think they should all be punished. Rich women or not.

Dixie

Exactly. But you do have to punish those in front of bench. Or a judge is picking and choosing.

Recently in traffic court, I noticed they pick and choose not to ticket immigrants. I actually heard the DA say, the words "Why was he stopped?" about an immigrant ??? (illegal)?? That is harder to prove than a judge admitting verbally and in writing he is doing the action.

Illegal Immigration Problems did not appear yesterday but were here in 1986.

He can't do anything about people that didn't have charges brought against them. I think that was the point the judge was trying to make that there were other people involved and they are getting off, while this one person gets 5 years.

The prosecutors have to file charges, set a court date... due process... before the court even gets involved. Sounds like the US prosecutors dropped the ball on this one. I'm sure those wealthy women ran out lawyered up so the prosecution settled for their witness testimony against the other guy, instead of going after them too. I'm sure they cut a deal too, if they testify, then they wont be prossecuted.

That's just not right.

Dixie

Here's another article
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-161727.html

HEAVY FINES and FELONY JAIL time for the ILLEGAL EMPLOYERS no matter how long the chain length becomes even to the "subcontractors" in this case Lubis! Felony conviction and deportation for the ILLEGALS!

I do not see how the Judge can decide not to punish 1 criminal because he believes other criminals have not been punished enough!