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Justice Department Indicts Illegal Alien Conspirators

By Jim Kouri, CPP
MichNews.com
May 13, 2005

Over 500 Illegal Immigrants Exploited Nationwide

Three individuals have been arrested and three others charged in a criminal indictment regarding an alleged nationwide employee-leasing conspiracy that used hundreds of illegal aliens at farms, dairies and factories in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice reported to the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

The individuals arrested were: Jaroslaw Sawczuk, a 37-year-old Polish citizen formerly of Coral Springs, Florida; Jozef Bronislaw Bogacki, a 42-year-old native of Poland and naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Clearwater, Florida; and Pavel Preus, a 38-year-old Polish citizen residing in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Also charged in an indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 13, 2005, and unsealed in April, were: were Lucia Kanis, a 30-year-old Slovak citizen; Ivan Kanis, a 38-year-old Slovak citizen residing in the Slovak Republic; and Andor Pikali, a 36-year-old Slovak citizen residing in Coral Springs, Florida.

Following his arrest, Preus made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Barry S. Seltzer in federal court in Ft. Lauderdale. Bogacki and Sawczuk, who were arrested in Clearwater, Florida, are scheduled to make their initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Jenkins in Tampa, Florida. The other three defendants are at large, and believed to be overseas.

The 26-count indictment alleges that from 1995 to the present, the defendants conspired to provide unauthorized workers, mostly East Europeans who had entered the United States on tourist visas, to American companies with whom the defendants had contracted to provide legally authorized foreign workers. The indictment alleges that more than 550 illegal aliens were brought into the United States by the defendants.

According to the indictment, the alien workers obtained tourist visas to enter the United States and were employed illegally in the Midwest and Southeastern United States on farms, in dairies and in factories. The defendants allegedly contracted with American employers to provide workers, for whom the defendants were to pay payroll taxes and workers' compensation deductions. The indictment alleges that the defendants did not pay the taxes or workers' compensation deductions. The indictment alleges that during the course of the conspiracy, the defendants failed to pay $6 million in payroll taxes and laundered more than $20 million.

Charges against the defendants include conspiracies to commit visa fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud, money laundering, and tax fraud. If convicted, the defendants face maximum penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. In addition, the government is seeking forfeiture of the defendants' assets.

“We will not allow criminal organizations to exploit America's immigration system for profit," said Michael J. Garcia, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). "ICE is restoring integrity to our nation's immigration system by ensuring compliance with immigration laws through enforcement actions against violators and by working with responsible businesses to promote vigilance in their hiring practices.�

"These defendants allegedly abused our immigration laws and defrauded the United States, all in an attempt to enrich themselves by exploiting vulnerable foreigners," said Assistant Attorney General Christopher A. Wray of the Criminal Division. "Those who think they can profit from such illicit activity are wrong, and they will be prosecuted."

The defendants, as charged, chose profits over compliance with our country’s immigration and employment laws. In using illegal aliens to generate their profits, the defendants not only took advantage of these foreigners, but also potentially compromised the safety of our citizens.

The investigation, known as Operation Pisces, started in 2002. The investigation was led by the Kansas City Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (at the time, the INS); the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; and the Miami field office of the Internal Revenue Service. Subsequently, the Miami division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service joined the investigation.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Michael E. Barr and Judith O'Sullivan of the Domestic Security Section of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, and by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey H. Kay of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida's Ft. Lauderdale office.

Arrest in Puerto Rico
A 35-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic linked to human smuggling was arrested in Puerto Rico in April as a result of a 9-month Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation.

ICE agents arrested Altagracia Ramos-Paolino for her alleged involvement in smuggling illegal aliens from the Dominican Republic to the continental United States using Puerto Rico as a gateway. Ramos-Paolino attempted to smuggle four previously deported aggravated felons through Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico; however, elements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) prevented the illegal re-entry.

Ramos-Paolino is alleged to having provided the illegal aliens with counterfeit driver’s licenses and social security cards. She was also responsible for purchasing the airline tickets to facilitate their illegal entry. Ramos-Paolina is in U.S. Marshals custody awaiting the outcome of her case.

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores.



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