Posted on 05/20/2006 1:39:27 PM PDT by jdub
COOKEVILLE -- Eight Hispanic men arrested last month with a batch of fake payroll checks, fake ID's, and a large wad of cash went to court this week, and four have now been released from the Putnam jail. All eight are in the United States illegally, but federal immigration authorities are currently planning to deport only three of the eight, while one is to be turned over to authorities in Illinois, where he is wanted on another charge.
The eight men were arrested by Cookeville Police on April 7 after thousands of dollars in fake Perdue Farms payroll checks had been cashed at businesses in Monterey and Cookeville.
The eight were charged with "criminal simulation forgery," and went to General Sessions Court on Wednesday, where court-appointed attorneys announced the details of plea arrangements which had been worked out.
The eight, who had been held in the Putnam jail since their arrest, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of "attempted criminal simulation," in exchange for sentences of 11 months and 29 days in jail, all of it suspended except 40 days, about the same amount of time they have already been in jail.
They were also ordered to make restitution of $10,000, and it was understood that they were to be turned over to federal authorities for possible deportation, court clerks said.
As of this morning, four of the eight had been released from jail because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told Putnam jail officials they would not move to deport those four.
Three of the eight were ordered held for deportation, and one was still being held this morning awaiting extradition to Illinois.
The three who will be deported are Joaquin Doriga, 26, Victor Avila, 23, and Jose Chavez, 23.
The one awaiting extradition is Hector Zabala, 27.
The four released are Demertio Mejia DeDios, 31, Samuel Fuez, 23, Javier Cruz Lopez, 29, and Anthony Perrara Walker, 30.
Police officials here were uncertain of the real identities of the eight, and more than one name for some of the eight appears on jail records.
The $6,000 confiscated at the time of the arrests will be distributed to the merchants who lost money by cashing the counterfeit checks.
Published May 19, 2006 11:23 AM CDT
It becomes increasingly clear that the government on any level has no intention of protecting us the citizens from this invasion. I pray this country comes to its citizens before violent opposition becomes the only means of recourse.
I should have noted that this is in Tennessee, my apologies.
Very True. Imagine what happens to the hapless citizen that doesn't pay a parking ticket.
uh, and that also should have been "comes to it's senses"....
You or I would get 3-5 years.
Yep, and meanwhile here dozens of citizens are awaiting trial for the henious crime of selling beer to a minor during a recent sting of all area convenience stores.
Deporting these hard workers would be racist. </we're doomed>
Perdue Farms - isn't that the chicken place that hired so many illegals?
That does it. I'm heading to Mexico so I can come back as an illegal so I too can escape any criminal charges for whatever I might do and to carry a wad of cash in my pocket.
Yes, Perdue is a big employer of illegals. Been a lot of crime because of it too. They all seem to cash their payroll checks at one of those payday loan places, Some woman got robbed by (presumed) illegals as she showed up for work with the cash for the day. We have to come up with some way to make it uncomfortable to be here. I keep wanting to speak up when i see a bunch of them at walmart or somewhere, but i'm afraid i'll be arrested.
ping
Not only are the illegals welcomed into our country but they are given get-out-of-jail cards to cover their other crimes.
Or worse... they don't seem to take kindly to having their motives being questioned.
— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
This is in Tennessee?
If you are ever arrested for something, do your best to act like an illegal alien and get the 'kid gloves' treatment.
Yes, Putnam County, about halfway between Nashville and Knoxville. Not exactly known as a liberal hotbed. im guessing that the chicken factory holds a lot of political clout and that may have something to do with the slap on the wrist. Funny, there was no mention in the paper that I saw when the arrest first happened. I wish i knew why they declined to charge any felonies. Seems like there could be a handful. Who should I call to ask? DA's office?
I almost got kicked off a flight from AZ to TN years ago. A bunch of illegals got on the plane (someone was shepherding them to MD, it seems). One was sitting next to me. The FA came by to take drink orders, I asked for a beer. She asked Pedro, he didn't understand. She made a drinking motion and he said "si, cerveza". She gave me my beer, and i gave her the $3. She asked Pedro for the money, and he looked at her and pretended not to understand. I said "un cerveza es tres dolores", and he glared at me. She said, "oh forget it" so i demanded my $3 back. didnt get it, but i did get the "threatening passenger" speech.
I was wondering, as I read the thread, if this was Cookeville, TN.
Am I the only one whose jaw is dropping over the fact that they got off so lightly in Tennessee?
Nah, you wouldn't, not for a first offense. These sentences are actually pretty typical - check forgery is not, unfortunately, punished very severely in most states.
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