http://link.toolbot.com/potomacnews.com/55861

By DANIEL GILBERT
dgilbert@manassasjm.com
Friday, January 19, 2007

Federal authorities arrested 18 people on immigration-related charges early Thursday, after an investigation into a construction company that arranged for illegal immigrants to work on Quantico Marine Corps base.

In an early morning operation, federal agents wrapped up a case that spanned nearly three years, making arrests on the Quantico base, in Fredericksburg and at an apartment complex in Dumfries, where federal agents arrested 12 people.

Among those arrested in Dumfries was the man authorities believe responsible for sneaking illegal immigrants onto the base.

Richard Eversole, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. Eversole, 58, owned a concrete company which he ran from the Chesapeake Apartments complex in Dumfries and allegedly hired illegal immigrants to work in construction on the Quantico base, according to documents filed in the United States Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Investigators do not believe those arrested "sought or gained access to sensitive areas or information" on the base, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Conspiracy to harbor an illegal immigrant carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine, said James Rybicki, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth Gibson.

One of Eversole's employees, Mexican native Juan Martinez, was arrested for unlawful re-entry, which has a maximum sentence of two years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Two others were apprehended for immigration document fraud, and the rest - men from El Salvador and Mexico, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement - were arrested on administrative charges.

Authorities are still looking for Jacob Bocanegra, a Mexican national and associate of Eversole's also charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, as well as using a false Social Security number.

Since March 2004, Eversole has arranged for illegal immigrants to work on construction projects on the Quantico base, procuring Department of Defense decals for his vehicles to enter with minimal inspection, according to an affidavit by a special agent with ICE.

On Sept. 6, the agent wrote, law enforcement officials interviewed 23 of Eversole's employees regarding a theft on Quantico. A search revealed that 19 lacked legal status in the U.S. The employees said they lived in Woodbridge, Fredericksburg and the Chesapeake Apartments - several of which were leased by Eversole.

Eversole's concrete company is not named in court documents, and spokespersons for ICE, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service could not identify it Thursday.

Earnestine Fobbs, a public affairs official for ICE, declined to specify what documentation those arrested carried, noting that the investigation was ongoing.

Between April 2004 and September 2006, according to the ICE agent's written testimony, Eversole's concrete company received more than $15 million in deposits, "the bulk of which are from the contractor on the construction project at Quantico."

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You know, this was run by a simple man who had an "In" with the military base because of his construction company. I start to wonder if this has ever led to actual terrorist getting on these bases? If one simple man can do this, what stops others from doing more? A very scary thought...