FBI Raids Los Angeles Church At Center Of Investigation Into Marriage Fraud
posted by Bill Galluccio - Jan 29, 2020
FTA
Two people were arrested in an FBI raid at the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church in Los Angeles. The raid was part of an investigation into human trafficking and marriage fraud at the Philippines-based church. The leader of the church was taken into custody on immigration fraud charges and another worker was arrested for allegedly confiscating passports from the victims of the scheme.
The FBI accused church leaders of recruiting immigrants to help fundraise for the church and setting them up with sham marriages so they could stay in the United States. Over a 20-year period, the FBI believes the church facilitated 82 fraudulent marriages. The victims were sent across the country and forced to act as fundraisers for the church’s charity, The Children’s Joy Foundation. If they failed to meet their daily quotas, they faced brutal beatings.
Instead of using the money to help children, the church sent roughly $20 million back to the Philippines.
“Most of these funds appear to derive from street-level solicitation,” according to the affidavit by FBI Special Agent Anne Wetzel. “Little to no money solicited appears to benefit impoverished or in-need children.”
The FBI is conducting similar raids at other facilities associated with the church, including two places in Hawaii.
Smuggling Tunnel Discovered on US–Mexico Border is Longest Ever in Southwest US: CBP
BY ISABEL VAN BRUGEN January 30, 2020
FTA
The longest cross-border smuggling tunnel ever found along the southwestern U.S.-Mexico border was discovered after a “challenging” multi-year operation, U.S. authorities announced on Jan. 29.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced in a news release that the illicit cross-border tunnel was first discovered in August 2019 and stretched more than three-quarters of a mile from an industrial site in Tijuana, Mexico, to the San Diego area.
At around five and a half feet (1.68 meters) tall and two feet (0.61 meters) wide, the tunnel featured an extensive rail and cart system, forced air ventilation, high voltage electrical cables and panels, an elevator at the tunnel entrance, and an elaborate drainage system.