Four in Upstate charged with harboring an unlawful alien (Spartanburg Herald-Journal)

Four in Upstate charged with harboring an unlawful alien

By Jenny Arnold

Published: Friday, May 13, 2011 at 3:15 a.m.

Four people have been charged under a state law that makes it illegal to harbor unlawful aliens.

Denise Elizabeth Gonzalez, 24, and Rafael Morales-Aguilar, 26, both of 215 Wedge Way, Duncan, and Alfredo Garera Hernandez, 32, and Lyzeth Ilyana Valle, 23, both of 936 Hampton Road, Lyman, have all been arrested by the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office and charged with harboring an unlawful alien.

According to an incident report, deputies responded to a fight in Duncan on March 17, and Gonzales told officer that she confronted an employee of El Mexicano Restaurant about flirting with her boyfriend, Morales-Aguilar.

Gonzales showed deputies her driver's license, while Morales-Aguilar told them he didn't have one, but that he lived with Gonzales, the report said.

A deputy checked with immigration agents, who said they had no files on Morales-Aguilar and that he was likely in the country illegally, the report said.

In a separate case, a deputy arrested Hernandez, who was living with Valle, on a criminal domestic violence warrant.

The deputy found that the two had “moved into hiding” after moving out of a home on Tindall Street in Spartanburg.

Investigators determined that Valle and Hernandez began living at the Lyman home as early as April 9. Investigators had knowledge that Hernandez was in the country illegally, the report said.

Harboring an unlawful alien is a felony, and those convicted face a fine of up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

Master Deputy Tony Ivey said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been notified of the arrests and plan to review them for possible further charges.

The four suspects were arrested Thursday, with bond being set at $5,000 for each. Valle and Gonzales have been released from the Spartanburg County Detention Center. Hernandez and Morales-Aguilar remained in jail on Thursday.