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| Feds charge 13 Arizona motel owners with housing illegals |
| 2005-11-11 |
| EFLFederal authorities have accused thirteen Mesa, Arizona motel owners, described as ethnic Indians, of harboring illegal aliens brought by smugglers into the United States and will seek to seize their businesses as part of a nationwide investigation into a network of hotels and motels being used as "stash houses." U.S. Attorney Paul K. Charlton in Arizona, whose office will prosecute the case, said that his office would seek forfeiture of the properties. Twelve of those named in the indictments have been arrested. Eight of those charged were identified as U.S. citizens, while five others were listed as citizens of Britain now in the United States on green cards. Those arrested were Bharatbhai Ranchhodbhai Bhakta, 52; Madhuben Bharatbhai Bhakta, 53; Ashok Ratanji Patel, 52; Amarkumar Patel, 23; Anand Bhika Bhakta, 34; Sunita Bhakta, 36; Babulal Mithalbhai Patel, 52; Gitaben Babulal Patel, 46; Pravinkumar Vanmalibhai Patel, 45; Sheilaben Pravinkumar Patel, 45; Bhupendra Dahyabhia Patel, 51; and Madhuben Patel, 50. Law-enforcement authorities said the stash houses, also known as "safe houses" and "drop houses," are locations used temporarily to shelter illegal aliens after they cross into the United States and before they are transported for a fee to locations throughout the country. The property owners or managers are paid by the smugglers, or "coyotes," to harbor the illegals, who often are packed into houses, apartments, hotels and motel rooms -- some of which lack electricity, water and proper sanitary facilities. According to the indictments, the motel owners rented rooms on numerous occasions to undercover U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents posing as alien smugglers, with some motel owners charging the undercover agents higher rates than they would charge their ordinary customers. The indictments said the owners coached the undercover agents on ways to conceal their smuggling activities, advising them to register under false names, rent multiple rooms, and park their vehicles in places that would avoid attracting attention. ICE agents, assisted by officers from the Mesa Police Department, executed search warrants on the businesses and arrested 12 of the motel owners. Another owner, Roshankumar Bharatbhai Bhakta, 20, has been declared a fugitive and is being sought. Each of those arrested was charged with one count of conspiring to harbor illegal aliens, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. ICE spokesman Dean Boyd said targeting the monetary assets of those involved in human smuggling is a key facet of ICE's strategy to combat dangerous criminal activity. In 2004, he said, ICE seized more than $7 million nationwide from organizations involved in human smuggling and human trafficking. This year, he said, that amount more than tripled to nearly $27 million. Spend it on the border fence. Earlier this year, ICE agents arrested and later deported 39 illegal aliens who were taken into custody after being discovered at a Las Cruces, N.M., motel. The 30 men, five women and four children were located inside four rooms at the motel. The aliens each had paid their smuggler between $1,800 and $2,100 to be brought into the United States. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #4 There is/was an immigration loophole that allowed foreigners who bought motels to immigrate to the US. Out west, you often see South Asians running incredibly run down motels, some not much more than mobile homes strapped together. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-11-11 21:37 |
| #3 Are they Hopi or Navajo? Neither. They're Greedy. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-11-11 21:19 |
| #2 Penguin: He said "Indians", not "Native Americans". Have to maintain that media political correctness, you know. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2005-11-11 21:18 |
| #1 ...thirteen Mesa, Arizona motel owners, described as ethnic Indians... Bhakta, Bhakta, Patel, Patel, Bhakta, Bhakta, Patel, Patel, Patel, Patel, Patel, Patel, Are they Hopi or Navajo? |
| Posted by: Penguin 2005-11-11 15:54 |