Mistake costs illegal immigrant dishwasher $59,000

[pedroh 21]

Can you people stay on topic? I think not.

As background, the issue is, an illegal alien attempted to transport USD59,000 out of the USA, with no taxation. By the way, traveling with unannounced cash over 10K is illegal.

With that in mind, the money was seized, because the dumb azz tried to travel with it in cash.

With that refresher, this individual should be taxed heavily and expelled permanently. Thoughts?

si.. i agree

oh dude its not news.. people in VJ don't care if illegals die, or if they die outside a hospital cuz they dont deserve healthcare.. not surprising after a while

yah thats it pedroh...keep the sharpton style BS coming! "i'm a victim, you're a racist..blah blah blah"

i ain't makin it up.. i've read it tons of times, that illegals shouldn't deserve the basic help, cuz they came illegaly, it's their fault, etc etc

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

i ain't makin it up.. i've read it tons of times, that illegals shouldn't deserve the basic help, cuz they came illegaly, it's their fault, etc etc

They Should NOT receive any Social service help other than Emergency Health care as in life/death

They shouldn't be given soical services of any kind they are NOT entitled to receive any Govt. aide except one way trip back to where they entered illegally be it Mexico , sweden, Guatamala ect..

And News Flash IT IS THEIR FAULT, THEY WILLINGLY -KNOWINGLY Broke Federal laws

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

These Illegals are taking away form services that other tax payingh legal USA citizesn need and are entitled to BEFORE ILLEGALS.

There is extreme poverty in part sof USA where people are not insured, do not have the luxery of free health care.

Yet these Criminal Illegals act as thoiugh they have a right to come into this country ilegally and take with out giving naything back, then drop anchor babies and try to paly the pity card or even the race card.

USA owes them NOTHING, the jobs they do are done, & will be done by USA citizesn or legallay employed residents. ( High school students, college students, other low educated blue collar workers.

This guy cam eher eillegally, worked illegally, Evaded taxes most likely Drove illegally, and remained illegally in the USA for 11 years.

He is getting what he derserves!

[Ban Hammer 13,135]

Oh, one more thing, about the fact that tax payers may be angry that their taxes helps these people, well, I don't think it does, if you look at how health care works in this country, you'd see that there are tons of people (including americans), that are kicked out of hospitals 'cus they can't afford the bill, that go without treatment and die 'cus they don't have a health plan, and don't qualify for government health care.

i'd like to see this. the hospitals cannot deny care.

And if illegals are being able to get SSN's, open accounts and get food stamps and free health care treatment, wouldn't that be a government problem? Maybe it'd be best for the government to be spending more money on these issues (and here I include health care for americans) than on the military.

not if it's your ssn!

Charles, I could be wrong, of course, I based my opinion after I saw Sicko and read some sites about US's health care situation, and to me it seemed alarming to see americans not getting any treatment 'cus they don't qualify for government health care, and then hospitals will refuse treatment without the person paying the bill.

by law, they cannot turn you away based on lack of insurance.

no comment about if it was your ssn?

btw, folks, something many of you have forgotten is this - one reason that money was seized is it's the fruit of a crime. kinda like someone robs a bank and buys lotto tickets and wins the big one - it's not just the same amount of money that is seized, ít's the entire amount that is tainted by the crime. working illegally, avoiding taxes, not registering for selective service, identity theft, the list goes on and on and on........

[Ladylethal 12]

If that's how the law would work in this case, ok, deport the guy and keep the money, I wouldn't know how it works exactly, I thought they could deport him, tax him and that's it, give him whatever was left of the money.

[Ban Hammer 13,135]

If that's how the law would work in this case, ok, deport the guy and keep the money, I wouldn't know how it works exactly, I thought they could deport him, tax him and that's it, give him whatever was left of the money.

i'm sure the illegal in the story probably won't come back after wasting 11 years of his life for nothing.

[neenuh 0]

One of my first jobs was washing dishes and then I worked for McDonald's. Both were minimum wage jobs.

and best of all, you're a citizen, not an illegal immigrant!

this is just sad and stupid

you would think that whether or not he cared about the laws and language, he would have learned about them both in ELEVEN years!

refusal to assimilate is perhaps one of the reasons there are spanish signs everywhere

now i support embracing cultures and stuff, don't get the wrong idea

but gosh, time will come a store sign will have about 10 languages translating an effin english word that merely means "open"

and that's just ridiculous

yay to left and right VJers!

:feels the love:

[NavarreMan 10]

Dear Mr. Nifong,

Since you are so hell-bent on prosecuting this case without having any idea of what laws were actually broken or to what extent a prosecution can exact punishment in this case, please understand that you proceed at your own peril. The legislative and judicial branches of the U. S. Government have had a system by which laws are written and enforced for over two hundred years now and it seems to work fairly well.

You are wrong in your assumption that “something many of you have forgotten is this - one reason that money was seized is it's the fruit of a crimeâ€. I, for one, have not forgotten this fact at all. I just prefer to let people skilled in the intricate workings of legal issues handle these cases, and judges, appointed by the American people, levy the punishment as allowed by law. As you are neither on the defense or prosecution teams in this matter I submit to you that you are not privy to all the facts in this case and apparently know little about legal jurisprudence. Prosecuting a case based on assumptions or fabricated evidence is a very dangerous thing to do. Don’t you agree Mr. Nifong?

You seem to have the notion that you can be your own Judge, Jury and Executioner with little or no regard for established laws, statutes and sentencing guidelines. Fortunately for Mr. Zapeta and other human beings that will be held accountable by these standards, your desire for vigilante justice will be totally ignored, but rest assured that people skilled in the practice of law and the meting of justice will handle this case in a manner befitting the moral, legal and social standards of our great country.

I await, with eager anticipation, to see the outcome of this interesting, and possibly landmark legal case.

Edited September 29, 2007 by NavarreMan

[Caladan 19]

Oh, one more thing, about the fact that tax payers may be angry that their taxes helps these people, well, I don't think it does, if you look at how health care works in this country, you'd see that there are tons of people (including americans), that are kicked out of hospitals 'cus they can't afford the bill, that go without treatment and die 'cus they don't have a health plan, and don't qualify for government health care.

i'd like to see this. the hospitals cannot deny care.

And if illegals are being able to get SSN's, open accounts and get food stamps and free health care treatment, wouldn't that be a government problem? Maybe it'd be best for the government to be spending more money on these issues (and here I include health care for americans) than on the military.

not if it's your ssn!

Charles, I could be wrong, of course, I based my opinion after I saw Sicko and read some sites about US's health care situation, and to me it seemed alarming to see americans not getting any treatment 'cus they don't qualify for government health care, and then hospitals will refuse treatment without the person paying the bill.

by law, they cannot turn you away based on lack of insurance.

no comment about if it was your ssn?

btw, folks, something many of you have forgotten is this - one reason that money was seized is it's the fruit of a crime. kinda like someone robs a bank and buys lotto tickets and wins the big one - it's not just the same amount of money that is seized, ít's the entire amount that is tainted by the crime. working illegally, avoiding taxes, not registering for selective service, identity theft, the list goes on and on and on........

You can't be turned away from EMERGENCY treatment based on lack of insurance. That doesn't help you so much if you get cancer and need successive treatments. ('I'm here for my emergency chemo treatment....')

With the theft thing, I'm not sure it's as clear-cut as that. If it is, then seize the money and send him on his way.

But like many have said, working illegally isn't a crime, but a civil violation. To boot, it's a civil violation that's automatically forgiven (or ignored) if you marry a U.S. citizen... so I'm thinking it's NOT treated like theft by USCIS because if you are a thief, you've committed a crime indicating moral turpitude (depending on the amount) and that is a bar to adjusting status. I mean, if you rob a bank you can't stay in the country based on your marriage unless you get a waiver. If you work illegally, there's no problem.

So I don't think the argument that 'working illegally is the same as theft' generally holds, because USCIS treats it differently from theft in other cases.

And with the other things you mentioned.... failing to pay taxes does not necessarily result in the seizure of all your assets, foreign nationals who are not permanent residents are not required to register for civil service (foreign tourists and students don't have to, and there's no category for EWI or overstays, obviously), and again, does not result in the seizure of all your assets, and given that the man is being permitted voluntary departure, I doubt he's committed identity theft. (It's a good question whether having a fake document with a dummy number counts as identity theft. It's also a good question as to whether he gave them a social security number at all.... he's a dishwasher and the employer may be at fault.)

Also, the fact that they're offering him $10,000 to settle out of court suggests to me that this isn't the case of seizing assets based on theft.

What's worrisome here is just that the government is stonewalling on the grounds that if they wait long enough, the guy will be deported penniless and then they can keep the money by default. That's just not right. This is important enough to be decided in a courtroom, not by default.

[GaryC 7]

Oh, one more thing, about the fact that tax payers may be angry that their taxes helps these people, well, I don't think it does, if you look at how health care works in this country, you'd see that there are tons of people (including americans), that are kicked out of hospitals 'cus they can't afford the bill, that go without treatment and die 'cus they don't have a health plan, and don't qualify for government health care.

i'd like to see this. the hospitals cannot deny care.

And if illegals are being able to get SSN's, open accounts and get food stamps and free health care treatment, wouldn't that be a government problem? Maybe it'd be best for the government to be spending more money on these issues (and here I include health care for americans) than on the military.

not if it's your ssn!

Charles, I could be wrong, of course, I based my opinion after I saw Sicko and read some sites about US's health care situation, and to me it seemed alarming to see americans not getting any treatment 'cus they don't qualify for government health care, and then hospitals will refuse treatment without the person paying the bill.

by law, they cannot turn you away based on lack of insurance.

no comment about if it was your ssn?

btw, folks, something many of you have forgotten is this - one reason that money was seized is it's the fruit of a crime. kinda like someone robs a bank and buys lotto tickets and wins the big one - it's not just the same amount of money that is seized, ít's the entire amount that is tainted by the crime. working illegally, avoiding taxes, not registering for selective service, identity theft, the list goes on and on and on........

You can't be turned away from EMERGENCY treatment based on lack of insurance. That doesn't help you so much if you get cancer and need successive treatments. ('I'm here for my emergency chemo treatment....')

With the theft thing, I'm not sure it's as clear-cut as that. If it is, then seize the money and send him on his way.

But like many have said, working illegally isn't a crime, but a civil violation. To boot, it's a civil violation that's automatically forgiven (or ignored) if you marry a U.S. citizen... so I'm thinking it's NOT treated like theft by USCIS because if you are a thief, you've committed a crime indicating moral turpitude (depending on the amount) and that is a bar to adjusting status. I mean, if you rob a bank you can't stay in the country based on your marriage unless you get a waiver. If you work illegally, there's no problem.

So I don't think the argument that 'working illegally is the same as theft' generally holds, because USCIS treats it differently from theft in other cases.

And with the other things you mentioned.... failing to pay taxes does not necessarily result in the seizure of all your assets, foreign nationals who are not permanent residents are not required to register for civil service (foreign tourists and students don't have to, and there's no category for EWI or overstays, obviously), and again, does not result in the seizure of all your assets, and given that the man is being permitted voluntary departure, I doubt he's committed identity theft. (It's a good question whether having a fake document with a dummy number counts as identity theft. It's also a good question as to whether he gave them a social security number at all.... he's a dishwasher and the employer may be at fault.)

Also, the fact that they're offering him $10,000 to settle out of court suggests to me that this isn't the case of seizing assets based on theft.

What's worrisome here is just that the government is stonewalling on the grounds that if they wait long enough, the guy will be deported penniless and then they can keep the money by default. That's just not right. This is important enough to be decided in a courtroom, not by default.

Lets not forget that this guy was breaking our laws here. He was working without permission and not paying taxes. I have no sympathy for him at all. I think the government should confiscate all monies found on any illegal aliens that are found working here. Advertise the heck out of that policy and just maybe a few less of them will come here in the first place. Then use the money taken to help pay for catching and deporting these gate crashers. They do the same for drug dealers, use the money and assets seized to go after other drug dealers, why not this?

[NavarreMan 10]

Oh, one more thing, about the fact that tax payers may be angry that their taxes helps these people, well, I don't think it does, if you look at how health care works in this country, you'd see that there are tons of people (including americans), that are kicked out of hospitals 'cus they can't afford the bill, that go without treatment and die 'cus they don't have a health plan, and don't qualify for government health care.

i'd like to see this. the hospitals cannot deny care.

And if illegals are being able to get SSN's, open accounts and get food stamps and free health care treatment, wouldn't that be a government problem? Maybe it'd be best for the government to be spending more money on these issues (and here I include health care for americans) than on the military.

not if it's your ssn!

Charles, I could be wrong, of course, I based my opinion after I saw Sicko and read some sites about US's health care situation, and to me it seemed alarming to see americans not getting any treatment 'cus they don't qualify for government health care, and then hospitals will refuse treatment without the person paying the bill.

by law, they cannot turn you away based on lack of insurance.

no comment about if it was your ssn?

btw, folks, something many of you have forgotten is this - one reason that money was seized is it's the fruit of a crime. kinda like someone robs a bank and buys lotto tickets and wins the big one - it's not just the same amount of money that is seized, ít's the entire amount that is tainted by the crime. working illegally, avoiding taxes, not registering for selective service, identity theft, the list goes on and on and on........

You can't be turned away from EMERGENCY treatment based on lack of insurance. That doesn't help you so much if you get cancer and need successive treatments. ('I'm here for my emergency chemo treatment....')

With the theft thing, I'm not sure it's as clear-cut as that. If it is, then seize the money and send him on his way.

But like many have said, working illegally isn't a crime, but a civil violation. To boot, it's a civil violation that's automatically forgiven (or ignored) if you marry a U.S. citizen... so I'm thinking it's NOT treated like theft by USCIS because if you are a thief, you've committed a crime indicating moral turpitude (depending on the amount) and that is a bar to adjusting status. I mean, if you rob a bank you can't stay in the country based on your marriage unless you get a waiver. If you work illegally, there's no problem.

So I don't think the argument that 'working illegally is the same as theft' generally holds, because USCIS treats it differently from theft in other cases.

And with the other things you mentioned.... failing to pay taxes does not necessarily result in the seizure of all your assets, foreign nationals who are not permanent residents are not required to register for civil service (foreign tourists and students don't have to, and there's no category for EWI or overstays, obviously), and again, does not result in the seizure of all your assets, and given that the man is being permitted voluntary departure, I doubt he's committed identity theft. (It's a good question whether having a fake document with a dummy number counts as identity theft. It's also a good question as to whether he gave them a social security number at all.... he's a dishwasher and the employer may be at fault.)

Also, the fact that they're offering him $10,000 to settle out of court suggests to me that this isn't the case of seizing assets based on theft.

What's worrisome here is just that the government is stonewalling on the grounds that if they wait long enough, the guy will be deported penniless and then they can keep the money by default. That's just not right. This is important enough to be decided in a courtroom, not by default.

Lets not forget that this guy was breaking our laws here. He was working without permission and not paying taxes. I have no sympathy for him at all. I think the government should confiscate all monies found on any illegal aliens that are found working here. Advertise the heck out of that policy and just maybe a few less of them will come here in the first place. Then use the money taken to help pay for catching and deporting these gate crashers. They do the same for drug dealers, use the money and assets seized to go after other drug dealers, why not this?

By this logic, if you fail to come to a complete, motionless stop at a stop sign, they should take away your drivers license? Are you free from sin? I highly doubt it.

We cannot punish by policy, only by law. If you mean that we need to educate the citizens of foreign countries as to all of our immigration laws and tax laws I think you will find that it would be a costly venture. How knowledgable are you of the tax and immigration laws of the Philippines? It is my opinion that Mr. Zapeta knew and understaood that he was breaking the law. He needs to be punished persuant to the laws and statutes that cover the issues at hand. No more, no less.

Until a law is changed or created to allow complete confiscation of all assets of an illegal alien in such situations we will just have to accept the penalty as provide by law.

Why don't you be the first kid on your block to draft a bill and submit it to your state legislature asking that this be done? Bitching about it here will not get the job done.

[GaryC 7]

By this logic, if you fail to come to a complete, motionless stop at a stop sign, they should take away your drivers license? Are you free from sin? I highly doubt it.

We cannot punish by policy, only by law. If you mean that we need to educate the citizens of foreign countries as to all of our immigration laws and tax laws I think you will find that it would be a costly venture. How knowledgable are you of the tax and immigration laws of the Philippines? It is my opinion that Mr. Zapeta knew and understaood that he was breaking the law. He needs to be punished persuant to the laws and statutes that cover the issues at hand. No more, no less.

Until a law is changed or created to allow complete confiscation of all assets of an illegal alien in such situations we will just have to accept the penalty as provide by law.

Why don't you be the first kid on your block to draft a bill and submit it to your state legislature asking that this be done? Bitching about it here will not get the job done.

Apples and oranges. If I don't come to a complete stop and a cop sees me then I get a ticket. That is the penalty. This guy came here illegally, worked illegally and didn't pay taxes. He isn't entitled to keep his ill-gotten gains. If I were a drug dealer and got caught I would forfeit anything that I earned and have to give up any assets that I gained. The same applies here. We should make it policy to confiscate anything earned while they are here and use the money to enforce the immigration laws. And before some bleeding heart says that a drug dealer and an illegal alien isn't the same thing then remember that working without permission isn't the only law broken. Tax evasion, welfare fraud and ID theft go hand in hand with working illegally. To me they are criminals.

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

By this logic, if you fail to come to a complete, motionless stop at a stop sign, they should take away your drivers license? Are you free from sin? I highly doubt it.

We cannot punish by policy, only by law. If you mean that we need to educate the citizens of foreign countries as to all of our immigration laws and tax laws I think you will find that it would be a costly venture. How knowledgable are you of the tax and immigration laws of the Philippines? It is my opinion that Mr. Zapeta knew and understaood that he was breaking the law. He needs to be punished persuant to the laws and statutes that cover the issues at hand. No more, no less.

Until a law is changed or created to allow complete confiscation of all assets of an illegal alien in such situations we will just have to accept the penalty as provide by law.

Why don't you be the first kid on your block to draft a bill and submit it to your state legislature asking that this be done? Bitching about it here will not get the job done.

Apples and oranges. If I don't come to a complete stop and a cop sees me then I get a ticket. That is the penalty. This guy came here illegally, worked illegally and didn't pay taxes. He isn't entitled to keep his ill-gotten gains. If I were a drug dealer and got caught I would forfeit anything that I earned and have to give up any assets that I gained. The same applies here. We should make it policy to confiscate anything earned while they are here and use the money to enforce the immigration laws. And before some bleeding heart says that a drug dealer and an illegal alien isn't the same thing then remember that working without permission isn't the only law broken. Tax evasion, welfare fraud and ID theft go hand in hand with working illegally. To me they are criminals.

What these Illegals & Advocates of , fail to realise is a Law is a law you break the laws of a ntion that you chose to cros into illegally you pay the rpice when caught.

If an illegal wishes to vilate federal immigration law, it is up to that criminal alien to becoem VERY familiar with any other laws especially customes if the idiot choses to walk back through the lions den.

If one wants to be able to be come legal then maybe he should learn English start Obeying the law, and at least try to learn the laws and rules of our nation.

He got is well deserved punshment. that Monye Belongs to all the legal residents & Citizens who are without health insurnace or paying highher insurance ( auto & Health ) due to these illegals. That Money should be used to put towards the cost of eductaing and caring for these illegals, actually should be put toward expiditing their deportation procedeings.

[NavarreMan 10]

By this logic, if you fail to come to a complete, motionless stop at a stop sign, they should take away your drivers license? Are you free from sin? I highly doubt it.

We cannot punish by policy, only by law. If you mean that we need to educate the citizens of foreign countries as to all of our immigration laws and tax laws I think you will find that it would be a costly venture. How knowledgable are you of the tax and immigration laws of the Philippines? It is my opinion that Mr. Zapeta knew and understaood that he was breaking the law. He needs to be punished persuant to the laws and statutes that cover the issues at hand. No more, no less.

Until a law is changed or created to allow complete confiscation of all assets of an illegal alien in such situations we will just have to accept the penalty as provide by law.

Why don't you be the first kid on your block to draft a bill and submit it to your state legislature asking that this be done? Bitching about it here will not get the job done.

Apples and oranges. If I don't come to a complete stop and a cop sees me then I get a ticket. That is the penalty. This guy came here illegally, worked illegally and didn't pay taxes. He isn't entitled to keep his ill-gotten gains. If I were a drug dealer and got caught I would forfeit anything that I earned and have to give up any assets that I gained. The same applies here. We should make it policy to confiscate anything earned while they are here and use the money to enforce the immigration laws. And before some bleeding heart says that a drug dealer and an illegal alien isn't the same thing then remember that working without permission isn't the only law broken. Tax evasion, welfare fraud and ID theft go hand in hand with working illegally. To me they are criminals.

To you they may be criminals but your opinion does not mean a thing. Law is law. Policy is not law. When you can cite the laws that say what this man may be guilty of in any way closely resembles anti-drug laws, then I will shut my mouth and happily go away.

You seem to think you are better than this SOB. Running a stop sign is as illegal as crossing the border illegally. But since you're an American we'll only worry about it if you get caught. What a load of #######. You are already piling welfare fraud and ID theft onto this guys lists of crimes and from the information given that is not the case.

I do not have a bleeding heart for this guy. I just cannot tolerate ignorant people who think they know the laws and rush to judgement over issues they know nothing about. You are not even willing to let the legal process take its course before you throw the rope over the tree. You show little respect for the law.

Send him to trial, convict if appropriate, sentence as allowed by law. What is so hard to understand about this simple concept?

Not one of you "judges" have bothered to look up the US Code and other pertinent laws governing this case to see what he is actually guilty of and what the penalty guidelines are. Nope, let's just hang him from the nearest tree. A true American one and all!

Edited September 29, 2007 by NavarreMan

[Jaseball 0]

NavarreMan-

I'm with you. It's a sad joke when you read posts like this and see people get some sort of glee and pleasure in stripping a person of $59K they earned over 11 years.

You go out and get a panel of 12 people from different cultures and different countries and see how they would view and see this case.

Anyone reading this thread would consider some of the comments and attitudes disgusting.

America's draw, strength, and glory came from our innovation, fairness, openness, and accepting other people. What happened to some of the people in here to become so bitter? It is really any wonder how our world reputation is so negative and tarnished.

More than likely the authorities and this case will be resolved in a fair way, since attorney's, the press, and public opinion will be involved.