Thread: PA: Drunken Illegal Alien Charged with Ramming Death, Update

Another senseless killing sanctioned by the hate group LaRaza and all of their political supporters.

I was happy and surprised to read this pretty thorough follow-up and investigation of the employer of the illegal alien "landscaper" who killed a bartender who refused to serve him because the illegal was already very drunk. Many, many people commented on the newspaper's blogs demanding to know the name of the company and the employer of the illegal...and the paper apparently received many phone calls about the same.....and they disclosed it and followed-up....interesting the company is connected to a former City councilman of Bensalem, the city where the murder was committed...................



The Intelligencer


Unresolved questions

By MATT COUGHLIN and JO CIAVAGLIA
The Intelligencer

An illegal immigrant charged with striking and killing a Bensalem bar employee worked for a landscaping business that isn't registered with the state or the township.

Jose Esteban Maldonado-Luzuriaga, 35, is charged with homicide after allegedly slamming a white Ford F-150 from Green Tree Landscape Services into William Sullo III, 30, of Philadelphia outside Salute bar on Knights Road Nov. 29, according to police.

Immigration officials said they plan to charge the Ecuadoran-born Maldonado-Luzuriaga with being in the country illegally and have asked that he be detained regardless of the outcome of the homicide case. They wouldn't say if his employer could face criminal charges of any kind.

During his arraignment, Maldonado-Luzuriaga said he worked for Green Tree Landscape Services. The pickup truck Maldonado-Luzuriaga allegedly was driving when he rammed into Sullo is owned by Green Tree Landscape Services and registered to James DiEgidio of Tripp Avenue in Warwick, according to police.

The newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching Green Tree Landscape Services at the phone number listed on Whitepages.com. No one answered the door to DiEgidio's Warwick home, and the newspaper was unsuccessful in reaching him at home for comment.

It remains unclear who owns the Green Tree business and where it's located. There are two addresses listed for the business in local directories and in county property records. One property, at 800 Haunted Lane, is owned by Louis DiEgidio, according to county records. The other, on Progress Drive, is rented to QuickPay LLC Collections, which is listed as being owned by Thomas DiEgidio.

A visit to the Haunted Lane and Progress Drive locations found no business trucks or signs for Green Tree or any other indication a landscaping business exists there.

Louis DiEgidio is listed as the owner of at least five other Bensalem properties, including Michener Construction, whose address is listed as 1349 Bristol Pike in Bensalem, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State Web site. The marquee on the Haunted Lane industrial complex lists Michener at the 800 Haunted Lane address.

Former Bensalem councilman John DiEgidio, who works at Michener, said his nephew James is involved in landscaping, but he hadn't even heard of Green Tree until contacted by the newspaper Tuesday.

There is no record of a Green Tree Landscape Services of Bensalem being registered in Pennsylvania, according to state department officials.

Also, businesses that move into Bensalem are supposed to first obtain a building and occupancy permit, Building and Planning Director and Zoning Officer Matthew Takita said.

Green Tree Landscape Services hasn't obtained the permit for either the Progress Drive or Haunted Lane addresses, Takita said. In fact, no business with that name has been issued a permit, he said.

The Internal Revenue Service and Pennsylvania Revenue Department both said they cannot release tax information about private businesses, so there's no indication of the tax status of the company.

Harran said he doesn't know who owns Green Tree. Police said James DiEgidio came to police the day after the accident and at first told them the truck was stolen. That now is a complaint that Maldonado-Luzuriaga was unauthorized to use the vehicle, police said.

Bensalem officials also declined the newspaper's request for information on whether Green Tree Landscape Services employees have paid the $50 annual tax accessed against people who work in the township, saying it's not public information.

Maldonado-Luzuriaga, who was living in the Bucks Meadows apartments in the township, doesn't have a valid driver's license in the U.S. and was carrying an expired Ecuadoran license, police said. A driver's license is one of several documents employers can use to verify that an employee is a legal USA resident.

It is unknown what documents Maldonado-Luzuriaga might have used to gain employment and use of the truck.

Police have said it's common for illegal immigrants to obtain fake licenses or other documents for employment. In 2007, three people were convicted and a fourth pleaded guilty to selling driver's licenses issued from the Bensalem licensing center to illegal immigrants for $2,500 to $4,000 a piece.

According to federal law, employers must verify that a potential employee is eligible for hire by examining a U.S. passport, a permanent resident card, unexpired foreign passport with a temporary U.S. stamp, or any one of several other immigration documents. Employers can also accept two other forms of identification, such as military, state, school or federal IDs, Social Security cards or other identification papers.

The employer must keep a record of the documentation, but isn't required to investigate whether the documents are authentic.

The Department of Homeland Security has an Internet-based system for confirming that potential employees are eligible to work in the U.S. The program, E-Verify, is optional in most states. Federal government contractors and subcontractors will be required to use the E-Verify system starting Jan. 15.

Earlier this year, state Rep. John Galloway, D-140, introduced a bill that would make it mandatory for Pennsylvania businesses to use the E-Verify program. The bill would also penalize companies that knowingly hire illegal immigrants by suspending or revoking their business licenses and barring them from seeking state contracts. A further step would allow individuals to file complaints against companies with illegal workers. The bill was too late for consideration this year, but Galloway said at the time that he wanted it on legislators' minds for 2009.

Police aren't required to report illegal immigrants to federal authorities, even ones who commit crimes.

Harran said he has notified ICE about Maldonado-Luzuriaga's status, but Bensalem doesn't routinely investigate reports involving alleged illegal immigrants. If police are notified a company appears to employ illegal immigrants, a report is taken and forwarded to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he said.

“We have no jurisdiction over this,â€

Gee a real newspaper reporter

It remains unclear who owns the Green Tree business and where it's located. There are two addresses listed for the business in local directories and in county property records. One property, at 800 Haunted Lane, is owned by Louis DiEgidio, according to county records. The other, on Progress Drive, is rented to QuickPay LLC Collections, which is listed as being owned by Thomas DiEgidio.

In my business experience, there are licensing agencies and state records of filing for business licenses, plus records of filings for tax id numbers. I can only assume that there is no business license for this business.

follow-up story #2:


Courier Times

Homepage | Local News | Local Sports
Landscape businesses can easily hide

By JO CIAVAGLIA
Bucks County Courier Times

Landscapers are among a handful of businesses that can be difficult to track down, according to Bucks County's Consumer Protection Department director.

Many times they operate using a cell phone and post office box, but no physical business address, Michael Bannon said. Company owners may not pick up mail or return phone calls.

“It's definitely an issue people should be aware of,â€

Illegal alien held over to face murder charges in truck attack

Thursday, December 18, 2008 1:12 AM EST
By ARTEMIS COUGHLAN
Staff Writer

BENSALEM, Pa. — An illegal alien from South America was ordered to stand trial on murder charges yesterday after a witness told of diving away from the truck the suspect allegedly used to fatally smash the victim against a wall.

Bartender Carl Slayton Jr., choking up at times, testified at a preliminary hearing that Jose Esteban Maldonado-Luzuriaga revved his truck and sped at him and William Sullo III, who jumped in the wrong direction and was pinned to the exterior of a bar.

Slayton, older brother of Houston Texans running back Steve Slaton, said it happened seconds after he gave the suspect the finger thinking the immigrant wanted only to scare them the night of Nov. 29 outside the Salute Bar on Knights Road.

It happened, he said, after he told 35-year-old Maldonado to get of the bar because he was drunk and loudly arguing in Spanish with other Salute patrons.

Another bartender, Maureen Richardson, started refusing to serve Maldonado more beer about 90 minutes after he came in at 8:30 p.m. and drank the first of the five Coronas he later told the cops he had downed that night.

Slayton said Richardson just “wouldn’t serve him. He kept asking for a beer, and she just gave him water because he was drunk.â€