ICE adds Venezuelan attorney, businessman to Most Wanted List for money laundering

County Examiner was opposed to the idea of Congress granting Temporary Protected Status or TPS from deportation for Venezuelans in the United States. Back in July 2019 CE published a story about two bills winding their way through Congress which sought to give an amnesty to Venezuelans whose asylum applications could be denied or those whose visas were approaching expiration.

CE cited public documents obtained from the Florida Department of Children and Families Refugee Task Force with knowledge of thousands of Venezuelans in the Tampa Bay area intending to thumb their nose at our Rule of Law and remain in the community without documentation.

An announcement was made to 63 attendees of the Tampa Bay Area Refugee Task Force meeting held January 22, 2019.

“…a brief announcement by Norma Reno, president of the Casa de Venezuela of Tampa Bay organization. She announced that there are currently over 20,000 from Venezuela in the Tampa Bay area. While some are seeking asylum, many are also concerned about being denied asylum and are staying in the community without documentation. Casa de Venezuela is offering English classes & civic classes to educate the community as well as support services for those in need. Task Force members will stay connected with this and other organizations serving those from Venezuela to ensure that they are aware of the services we can provide for those who qualify and are in need."

Now today we learned a Venezuelan attorney and businessman wanted for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and several counts of money laundering was added to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Most Wanted List earlier this month, according to an ICE news release.

MIAMI – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced earlier this month the addition of Raul Antonio De La Santisima Trinidad Gorrin Belisario, a Venezuelan attorney and businessman, to its Most Wanted list for conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and several counts of money laundering. The action follows an indictment filed August 16, 2017, in the Southern District of Florida, Gorrin Belisario’s subsequent escape from justice, and the updated FinCEN advisory (FIN-2019-A002, published by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network May 3, 2019) regarding widespread public corruption in Venezuela.

The indictment alleges that Gorrin Belisario, 50, a Venezuelan citizen with a residence in Miami, Florida, paid millions of dollars in bribes to two high-level Venezuelan officials to secure the rights to conduct foreign currency exchange transactions at favorable rates for the Venezuelan government. In addition to wiring money to bribe the officials, he allegedly purchased and paid expenses for them related to private jets, yachts, homes, champion horses, high-end watches, and a fashion line. To conceal the bribery payments, Gorrin Belisario made payments through multiple shell companies. Furthermore, he allegedly partnered with other subjects to acquire Banco Peravia, a bank in the Dominican Republic, to launder bribes paid to Venezuelan officials and stash the illicit proceeds of the scheme.

Gorrin Belisario was last seen in Caracas, Venezuela, and currently remains at-large

Read the rest here

Why Congress should not pass a TPS “amnesty” for Venezuelans

Two bills, one each in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate would result in a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) aka amnesty for Venezuelans in the United States. While the text of House Bill H.R. 549 differs from the text of its Senate companion bill S. 636, the overarching question to ask is why should Congress grant an amnesty “free pass” to Venezuelans worried their asylum application will be denied?

Documents obtained from Florida Department of Children and Families shed light on the answer to this question.

An announcement was made to 63 attendees of the Tampa Bay Area Refugee Task Force meeting held January 22, 2019.

“…a brief announcement by Norma Reno, president of the Casa de Venezuela of Tampa Bay organization. She announced that there are currently over 20,000 from Venezuela in the Tampa Bay area. While some are seeking asylum, many are also concerned about being denied asylum and are staying in the community without documentation. Casa de Venezuela is offering English classes & civic classes to educate the community as well as support services for those in need. Task Force members will stay connected with this and other organizations serving those from Venezuela to ensure that they are aware of the services we can provide for those who qualify and are in need.

Venezuelans currently in Florida should be worried about the denial of an asylum application, especially if their visa to enter the U.S. was obtained through fraud or their entry to the U.S. through misrepresentation. 

Let the petitions of Venezuelan seeking permission to remain in the U.S. succeed or fail on the facts of each case.

Uh-oh; Congolese refugees stressing Florida educational system

A service provider involved in resettling Congolese nationals in one Florida county recently explained a key issue facing the Tallahassee area is also facing school districts across the entire state, “especially those with Congolese refugees.”

Documented in the minutes of a March 12, 2019 Refugee Task Force meeting held in Leon County, home of Tallahassee, the state capitol, comes this informative nugget from the state refugee services program director:

“Patti Grogan, The Refugee Services Program Director made the first presentation to give the participants a historical perspective to the growth and status of the program during the past 15-20 years. This perspective was compared to the political events of the previous years to what is currently occurring during 2019. As services for refugees have only begun to take effect during the past 5 years in Leon County most participants did not have a frame of reference from previous years.

She explained that the other refugee services programs in Florida have experienced a huge decrease in the numbers of new clients arriving in their counties. Ms. Grogan did confirm that many of the challenges and important issues facing refugees in Tallahassee are also being experienced around Florida especially those with Congolese refugees.”

A second presentation by Ms. Bilic from International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Comprehensive Refugee Services provider in the NW Region, Leon County followed up with:

“The educational system is feeling the stress with so many refugees in a few schools while working with those who have never attended school before while in refugee camps.

As IRC reminds the participants that while addressing the important need of learning English in the schools, the students are struggling with reading and writing skills. Mr Beasley will focus his efforts on the tutoring needs of the children during both their R&P and Case Management involvement. The students are eager to go to school, but the older students often struggle at first with their social involvement. “

Data extracted from the Refugee Processing Center reveal 1754 Congolese refugees were resettled in eleven Florida cities between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2019.

County Examiner contacted a representative of the State of Florida – Department of Children and Families, Refugee Services Program with questions about this task force report and will publish additional information when we receive a response.