Friday, March 19, 2010


This StoryPosted: 12:00 AM

Migrants' advocate pleads not guilty to federal charges
An attorney for Benjamin Guiliani Sr. of South Portland vows 'a vigorous defense' against charges that include transporting and harboring illegal aliens.
By Trevor Maxwell tmaxwell@mainetoday.com


PORTLAND — A well-known advocate for migrant workers and immigrants' rights pleaded not guilty Thursday to five criminal charges filed against him in federal court.


Benjamin J. Guiliani Sr. of South Portland was indicted by a grand jury in Bangor on Jan. 13. He is charged with transporting and harboring illegal aliens, failure to file a corporate tax return, student assistance fraud, Social Security fraud and tax evasion.

"We feel that Mr. Guiliani has done a lot in the community, and we are going to raise a vigorous defense to these charges," said his attorney, Bruce Merrill, after the brief hearing in U.S. District Court.

If convicted of the most serious charge, transporting and harboring, Guiliani could be sentenced to as much as 10 years in prison.

Guiliani, 62, is a Mexican-American who was born in El Paso, Texas, and has lived in Maine for about 30 years. He earned a reputation in the 1990s as a leading voice for the ethical treatment of migrant workers.

As head of the Maine Migrant Workers Advocacy Group, he brought successful workplace lawsuits against the DeCoster Egg Farm and Walmart.

In December of 2006, federal immigration agents searched Guiliani's home and business in South Portland. Federal officials declined to comment on the purpose of the raid.

At the time, Guiliani was president of Azteca Consulting Associates Inc. at 179 Lincoln St. Azteca was dissolved in 2008.

Merrill has described Guiliani as a family man with no criminal history. He earns his living as a plumber and remains deeply involved in Maine's migrant worker community.

Except for the indictment itself, no documents related to the investigation have been released publicly.

In the five-page indictment, prosecutors allege that Guiliani knowingly harbored and transported illegal aliens in Maine beginning around 2004 and continuing until December of 2006.

Guiliani earned taxable income of $100,369 in 2005, but failed to file tax returns for that year, according to the indictment. Among other allegations, prosecutors say Guiliani used a corporate account to conceal personal expenditures, withdrew large amounts of cash from his bank accounts to conceal the extent of his income and assets, deposited business receipts into an account that was not in his name and transferred real estate into the name of his wife.

Prosecutors also allege that Guiliani misrepresented his income and assets on a financial aid form that was used to obtain assistance for a son who was attending college in Portland.



Staff Writer Trevor Maxwell can be contacted at:tmaxwell@pressherald.com




http://www.pressherald.com/news/migrant ... 03-18.html