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| John Grubesic |
Fasten Your Seatbelts, Grubesic Might Get in CD # 1 Race
Violators of Immigation Laws Make No Apologies, Claim Entitlement Instead and Plan Open Protests
Governor's Office Talks Driver's Licenses - Documents Many Instances of Fraud
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| Governor Susana Martinez |
ALBUQUERQUE – Three leaders of a Chinese crime ring that used fraudulent documents to secure New Mexico driver’s licenses for over 60 illegal immigrants from out of state are facing over 1,150 counts of felony charges. An Albuquerque grand jury today returned indictments against Gordon Leong, Tin Cheung and Alex Cheung on 386 counts each on charges of fraud, forgery, conspiracy, making false affidavit perjury, and altered, forged or fictitious licenses. “We have long known of fraud and abuse in our driver’s license system and these latest indictments make it clear that we must address the problem,” said Governor Martinez.
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| Beijing Skyline |
“We are attracting criminals to our state who exploit our driver’s license policy and threaten the safety and security of all New Mexicans. I applaud the hard work that went into cracking down on this particular fraud ring, but that is only a stopgap measure until we repeal the law that invites this criminal activity once and for all.”
"We strive hard to hold all criminal offenders accountable. When people come into our state and violate our laws, they are deserving of our best efforts. This is just another example of our commitment," said District Attorney Kari Brandenburg.
"We strive hard to hold all criminal offenders accountable. When people come into our state and violate our laws, they are deserving of our best efforts. This is just another example of our commitment," said District Attorney Kari Brandenburg.
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| Demesia Padilla |
State Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla added, “Existing state law has clearly made our driver’s licenses less secure and now we’re contributing to the public safety problems of other states as more and more out-of-state illegal immigrants and criminal elements are coming here to get driver’s licenses and leave.” The three men are accused of running newspaper advertisements in Chinese newspapers in New York, promising New Mexico driver’s licenses. They leased multiple apartments simultaneously in Albuquerque and secured driver’s licenses for 62 illegal immigrants of Chinese descent, primarily from New York, for $1,500 each between March 2009 and November 2010. Tin and Alex Cheung also notarized residential and lease agreement documents fraudulently for their customers. The illegal immigrants flew into Albuquerque from New York, obtained their driver’s permits and left the State.
The ringleaders had the actual driver’s licenses mailed to an address in Albuquerque and then forwarded to their clients in New York. The New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division has cancelled all the driver’s licenses issued in this case after the arrest of Leong and three of his customers in November 2010. Three customers - Fongyee Hiew, Shu Sheng Liu and Sui Lam - who flew in from New York to obtain New Mexico licenses and have also been indicted on 16 counts each on charges of fraud, forgery, conspiracy, making false affidavit perjury, and altered, forged or fictitious licenses. Arrest warrants have been issued for both Tin and Alex Cheung. Prior Driver License Schemes: Read rest of press release here: News New Mexico
NM Conservative Coalition Schedules Rally
The call to repeal the law that allows issuing driver licenses to illegal immigrants will be central to the We the People Rally II to be held September 6 starting at 10:00 A.M. on the West Steps of the Capitol in Santa Fe preceding the Special Legislative Session. Latest polls show that 74% of New Mexicans oppose issuing driver licenses to illegal immigrants. A KOAT poll showed that 80% of New Mexicans want the practice stopped. Yet State Legislators refuse to listen. The We the People Rally II, hosted by the New Mexico Conservative Coalition, will discuss the risks to New Mexicans of issuing driver licenses to Illegal immigrants. For instance: A growing network of criminals sell fraudulent documents, which falsely declare New Mexico residency, to undocumented foreign nationals for the purpose of gaining a New Mexico driver's license. This makes possible unrestricted travel throughout the nation, enables the boarding of airplanes, applying for government assistance, and so forth.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, tens of thousands of people from countries "other than Mexico" enter the United States illegally every year. It is unknown how many of these have successfully entered the country and obtained a New Mexico driver's license, which is presently accepted as a valid government I.D. This leads to a growing concern that New Mexico driver licenses will shortly be refused as a valid means of identification, leading to the disenfranchisement of all New Mexico driver licenses.
More Driver's License Fraud Indictments
Richardson Serves as Panelist in AZ Town Hall on Water
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| Bill Richardson |
New Mexico state jet sold for $2.5M
From the Santa Fe New Mexican.com - A New Mexico state jet, once criticized by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez as the "ultimate symbol of waste and excess," is being sold for $2.5 million, a government official told The Associated Press. A state official familiar with sales negotiations said a retired couple from Anchorage, Alaska, is buying jet and they are expected to take ownership and delivery of the plane on Thursday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging a formal announcement of the sale later in the day. The twin-engine business jet, a Cessna Citation Bravo, was purchased new in 2005 by Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson's administration for $5.5 million. Martinez promised during her campaign last year to ditch the jet to cut government costs. Richardson was a frequent flier on the jet, but Martinez never used it. The jet was sold through a broker, which will receive a commission of 2 percent of the purchase price — about $50,000. Since Martinez took office in January, the jet has remained grounded except for routine maintenance. Read more
Michigan Bar Owners Bounce Lawmakers to Protest Smoking Ban
From Fox News.com - Some days, politicians could use a drink. But lawmakers in Michigan may soon find it harder to get one. Hundreds of bar owners in the Great Lakes State plan to deprive lawmakers of their hospitality by banning them from their establishments in protest of the state's smoking ban. A new group, Protect Private Property Rights in Michigan, claims it has more than 500 bar owners statewide pledging to blacklist almost every lawmaker. The idea is to persuade the Legislature to at least revisit the ban, which went into effect last year. "We're going to have to remind Lansing that our bars are in fact private property, so therefore they are now persona non grata as of Sept. 1," said Stephen Mace, director of the group and a bar worker himself. How effective the ban is could depend on how much Michigan's lawmakers cherish their local watering holes. Mace said the primary goal is to get a discussion started again in the capital -- he said many of the Republican candidates who swept into office last November were opposed to the ban but haven't done much to address it since their swearing-in. "The bar owners and workers felt they were being ignored by the new Legislature," Mace said. Mace said businesses and the government have lost millions of dollars as a result of the smoking ban, which applied to most businesses across the state when it went into effect on May 1, 2010. Mace claimed that "in excess of 100" small bars closed down in the first year as a result of the ban. According to the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association, overall sales at bars and restaurants were down about 20 percent between May and July of last year after holding steady in the months before the ban. Sales of alcohol, food and lotto tickets all fell -- the drop-off in revenue was more pronounced among smaller establishments. Read more
Obama Justice Department Shuts Down Gibson Guitar
NewsNM - Swickard - As a follow up from a previous story yesterday, (see here) the Holder Justice Department raided Gibson Guitar facilities in Nashville and Memphis this week because the company is using unfinished wood from India. The Federal Department of Justice suggested that the use of wood from India that is not finished by Indian workers is illegal, not because of a law in India. Suggested?
Texas to Begin Deporting Foreign Convicts
From Fox News.com - Texas parole officials can soon use a new state law to begin deporting some of the 11,000 foreign citizens who are incarcerated in state prisons. The Austin American-Statesman reports the deportations could save taxpayers millions of dollars. The state law, which takes effect Sept. 1, allows the parole board to approve convicts for parole on the condition that they are deported to their home country. The law covers foreigners convicted of both violent and nonviolent crimes. Parole officials are worried about how to implement the new law because in recent years, several hundred foreign-born felons were paroled and released to federal officials for deportation but were instead allowed to remain in Texas on parole at the cost of state taxpayers. Bryan Collier, deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said about 11,500 of Texas' 156,000 state prisoners are not U.S. citizens, and about 6,000 of those currently have a deportation order pending. Texas lawmakers have debated such a deportation program for nearly 20 years, with several unsuccessful attempts at legislation.
Lawmakers say the state could save as much as $100 million annually if as many as 5,000 foreigners were removed from state prisons and deported. The state spends about $3 billion a year operating the state's 112 prisons and related programs. Read more
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