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They didn't have any dogs or cats, did they? |
Posted on 02/25/2006 6:50:51 PM PST by ferri
SPOKANE - A Korean man, wanted since November 2005 on suspicion of smuggling a dozen Korean national in to the United States near Oroville, has been arrested in Los Angeles, Calif. James A. McDevitt, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced the arrest of Jeong Ho Kim, 38. He was arrested by U.S. Immigation and Customs Enforcement agents in an apartment in Los Angeles. Kim faces federal charges in Spokane for allegedly transporting the seven women and five men over the border illegally, according to McDevitt. Federal officials allege the 12 were destined for the Los Angeles area when they were apprehended Nov. 28, 2005, by Border Patrol agents near Oroville. They were in a rented Chevrolet Tahoe. While Kim was not with them, he allegedly rented the vehicle at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and instructed another person where to pick up the 12 people near the border, according to the indictment. ICE agents say the investigation into alleged alien smugglng scheme is ongoing. A federal grand jury handed down a 13-count indictment against Kim Feb. 7. He is charged with conspiracy to transport illegal alients and 12 counts of aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens, according to McDevitt's announcement. "The Department of Justice and this office place a high priority on these cases because of the serious threat that human smuggling presents to our country and the integrity of our borders," said McDevitt. "Human smuggling is an enforcement priority for ICE because it undermines the integrity of our nation's legal immigration system," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of ICE investigations in Washington. "Additionally, smuggled aliens are often treated as a commodity and are exploited by the criminal networks that brought them here." Kim made an initial appearance in federal court in Los Angeles Feb. 23 and waived his right to an identity hearing. A magistrate judge ordered him held without bond; Kim agreed to be returned to Spokane to face the charges. A conviction for conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $250,000. Each of the 12 transportation of an illegal alien counts carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000, according to McDevitt's announcement. The prosecution is being handled by Pamela Byerly, assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
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They didn't have any dogs or cats, did they? |
Just a dozen OTM's picked up for a free flight home.
South Korea is already getting there as a developed country. Why do they want to go to the United States in this manner?
If they are from North Korea, either they are refugees or worse, spies on espoinage or state-terrorists with missions.
there are some pretty nice places to eat around Oroville...lol
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How come he got over the border in the first place? Couldn't all these crimes be prevented with the application of existing law?
Wait. Koreans?
I thought it said Korans.
Never mind...
i don't think they came across legally...i was raised in that area, the border is miles and miles and miles of barbed wire fence with sensors that set off an alarm at the border if someone sneaks through, BUT there i also a spot that was a pot smuggling crossing for years, on horse back.
ping
I seriously doubt whether the illegal Korean immigrant problem is as bad as the illegal Mexican immigrant problem, which is probably why they picked on this guy. If he was Mexican, they'd have given him and his friends free college tuition and welfare benefits.
Sorry, that probably sounds bigoted. But for the past thirty or forty years it seems as if immigration has mainly picked on the easy targets and left the difficult ones alone.
i don't know...there was a BIG problem in that area with illegal mexican workers. that is apple country. i used to hear them busting 'wet backs' all the time and ship them home. (and they were usually back in town before the ink was dry on the paperwork) now if you hire an illegal YOU also get in trouble. you have to see their green card.
OK, maybe these agents are just on the ball, then.
How much do Koreans go for on the black market these days?
"They didn't have any dogs or cats, did they?"
Nope, they were caught AFTER dinner time.
North border versus south border. The Koreans came through Washington.
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