4 Hispanic men charged in immigration violation (Bangor Daily News)

4 Hispanic men charged in immigration violation
9/11/08

By Judy Harrison
BDN Staff

BANGOR, Maine — Four Hispanic men have been charged in federal court with immigration violations.

Jose Fernando Jacinto-Morales, 46, Juan Teletor-Cortez, 28, and Angel Guzman-Reyes, 23, all of Guatemala were arrested Saturday at a Presque Isle motel after one them was stopped by the Maine State Police on a traffic violation.

Court documents do not identify that man by name but the others were found when U.S. Immigration and Customs officials, who took over the investigation from state police, went with him to the motel to retrieve his belongings.

All three men worked as laborers at Huber Engineered Woods LLC in Easton.

Jacinto-Morales and Teletor-Cortez are charged with being in the United States after having been deported. Guzman-Reyes is charged with using false documents.

In an unrelated case, Federico Arce, 30, of Mexico was charged Monday in U.S. District Court in Bangor with three counts of employment verification fraud in connection with seasonal work at Worcester Wreath Co.

Arce was arrested in August on immigration violations and has been held in the Cumberland County Jail in Portland since then. As part of an ongoing investigation, ICE agents have been reviewing employee application packets submitted over the past few years at the wreath company’s Maine locations.

A review of job applications at the Topsfield Plant showed that Arce used fake documents to get a job in 2005, 2006 and 2007, according to court documents. Arce allegedly admitted that he was in the country illegally and had worked for the company.

If convicted, Arce and Guzman-Reyes each face up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.

The other Guatemalan men face up to two years in prison and the same fine if convicted.

The men are expected to be held without bail pending the resolution of their cases.