Posted on 06/07/2007 2:52:16 PM PDT by Ron in Acreage
The investigation was complicated, Sink said, because many of those charged were also using fictitious names.
Of the 16 people arrested in St. Lucie County, 12 worked at Bates Plants, a nursery and landscaping business at 15001 W. Angle Road in Fort Pierce.
Most of them told investigators they were in the country illegally. Several said they bought the Social Security cards in West Palm Beach and paid between $40 to $150 for them, according to the reports.
Owner Chad Bates said he was shocked when most of his 17-person crew was arrested earlier this week.
"I've got work lined up, and I needed those workers," Bates said. "I wish there was some way I could have prevented it."
Bates said he moved his business to Fort Pierce from Loxahatchee about two years ago and brought many of those workers with him. He said he required everyone to show him a Social Security card and a resident alien card before he hired them.
"I did everything I was supposed to do," Bates said, adding that in the future he probably will run a background check on potential employees in an effort to prevent this from happening again.
(Excerpt) Read more at palmbeachpost.com ...
That's easy. Just hire fluent speakers of English.
Let’s see....I hire all Mexican crew that can’t speak English, they all have brand new SS cards, they will work for $3.00 and hour...whats so strange about that? Mmmmmmmmm
Meadow Muffin
Where did all the witholding taxes go? Did he withold at all? Where’s the IRS in this matter? This guy better get an analized audit he will never forget. I’m sick of these bastards screwing all of us by breaking the law hiring illegals.
Bates is a lying bastard and needs to go to jail. He aided and abetted these criminals.
It sounds like the guy followed the law. The problem is that the Social Security Administration doesn't tell employers when someone uses someone else's SSN or if they use a phony one.
The only real way the guy can tell that the required documents that were provided are fake is to pay for a more extensive background check out of his own pocket because our government won't do their job.
So now this guy is likely losing a lot of money out of his pocket because the workers he hired to do the job, were not legal and now he's going to lose all the business he had lined up.
You're right to be irate, but I think your anger is a bit misdirected.
"I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"
Nice try, 'Master' Bates...
So if MY SSN were being used by 114 other people, would I get any extra benefit when it comes to collect SS?
Loxahatchee is about 2 miles from me. This place looks like we’re being invaded daily. Dozens and dozens wait on the roadside to get picked up every day. They live 8-10 of them in a 3 bedroom house. 6 cars all over the property. Washers and dryers on the front porch with clotheslines stretched between the trees etc. It’s transforming into the 3rd world slum they escaped. They drive on our streets with no insurance. I could go on.
This place looks like we’re being invaded daily.
Welcome to my world. Massive influx here. Some areas now look like S. America. Buildings painted bright puky colors. A nearby city tried to pass a city ordinance banning excessive cars parked in streets/yards but it was labeled racist. I could go on and on as well.
Are dope smokin' hippies still dope smokin' hippies???
Go buy a surplus white Ford Crown Vic from a police department or other government agency. Make sure to get one with the spotlight mounted through the driver’s side windshield pillar. Cruise the areas of highest concentration every couple of days. If you want to be real mean, figure out when the contractor trucks go through, and time your “rounds” to be a couple of minutes beforehand. Every now and then, pull over in sight of particularly large concentrations (but not too near, maybe a block away), and make some notes in your day planner or blackberry. When you’re done “taking notes”, pull away from the curb abruptly, and accelerate hard down the street.
You may have to do some searching to find the new “pickup” spots after a couple of days of this. Sooner or later, they may get wise and ignore you, but you can have some fun and hurt the business of the “slavers” into the bargain.
See it everywhere in Ca. The six car salami.
Some union guys around here (N. CA) tried something similar.
They took down contractors license numbers and license plates and reported the lot to the state contractor board.
Nobody cared so they stopped.
This isn’t to do anything directly to the contractors (i.e. not targeting the employers). This is to make the illegals think the ICE is canvassing the area. They will make themselves scarce every time they see the official-looking vehicle.
NO! If, when you retire, there is any money left in the SS "lockbox" your share will be divided up among the 114 illegals who used your number. Thank you Jorge Bush.
Did I miss the part in the article where the country of origin of the illegals was mentioned?
Just at a guess, it wasn’t Albania.
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