Eatery owner faces forgery, drug charges (Walla Walla Washington)

A federal investigation results in the arrest of Jesus `Jesse' Juarez and two others so far.

With a marketplace inside, the stucco-faced La Hacienda restaurant has always been considered more than a place to eat.

But police say the business known additionally for its fresh-baked goods, selection of CDs and long-distance telephone cards has also been a front for illegal immigrants seeking forged documentation. The paperwork, including Social Security and permanent resident alien identification cards, could help with getting jobs, housing assistance and other necessities. Law-enforcement officials also contend the business owner has been connected with the distribution of drugs.

Jesus ``Jesse'' Juarez, the 52-year-old owner and operator of La Hacienda, 25 S. Spokane St., is in custody and faces federal charges for the manufacture and distribution of forged documents and aiding and abetting the distribution of controlled substances, said Walla Walla Police Sgt. Randy Allessio.

Also arrested in connection with the case were Melquiades Delgado-Gonzales, 45, of Walla Walla County, believed to have created the phony documents, and Salvador G. Ochoa, 40, of College Place, believed to have aided and abetted the distribution of controlled substances.

``I'm surprised and shocked by the news,'' said Dave Warkentin, president and chief executive officer of the Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce, of which Juarez was a board member.

Warkentin described Juarez as a ``prominent'' member of the community who was known for having ``pulled himself up by his bootstraps to create a business and a life for himself here'' over more than two decades.

Allessio said prior to the investigation Juarez had been well thought of by the police department and had been ``looked upon as a leader in the Hispanic community.'' In 2004, a year after moving his business from Main Street into a former auto shop he had spent 16 to 18 hours a day transforming, Juarez received the Outstanding Downtown Business Success Story award at the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation's annual awards banquet.

Timothy Bishop, executive director of the downtown foundation, said he too was shocked to hear the news.

``Throughout the downtown community I think everybody clearly has thought of Jesse as a really great guy and thought of La Hacienda as a great entrepreneurial success story,'' he said.

In a federal court hearing this morning in Yakima, a not-guilty plea was entered for Juarez and bail was set at $50,000, according to Greg Shogren, assistant U.S. attorney.

Juarez and Delgado-Gonzales face one count each of conspiracy to produce forged documents and three counts each of unlawful production of the documents.

Additionally, Juarez faces a conspiracy charge to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one charge to distribute a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Ochoa faces those two charges plus an additional count of distribution of methamphetamine.

According to copies of the indictments, if Juarez is convicted of one or more of the false documents offenses he will have to forfeit La Hacienda to the federal government.

The arrests are the culmination of more than a yearlong investigation by the Walla Walla Special Teams unit and federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an arm under Homeland Security, Allessio said.

Federal agents first came to Walla Walla to investigate the case in April 2005, Allessio said. He does not know how they had been tipped off, but he said they acted as if the sale of illegal documents had taken place for some time.

``I couldn't tell you whether it was months or years,'' Allessio said. ``It's been ongoing.''

At the time, and with the aid of the Special Teams unit, the group sent in an informant to verify suspicions. The informant, who claimed to Juarez to be a Yakima resident, gave Juarez a photograph and money with the hopes of purchasing manufactured documents, Allessio said. While the deal was struck, federal and local officers had staked out the restaurant and watched the transaction.

Allessio said officers observed Juarez leave the building with what they believed was the paperwork from the informant. Officers followed Juarez to the location of Delgado-Gonzales, who reportedly created the finished product.

At the same time, the informant asked about possibly purchasing methamphetamine. Allessio said Juarez connected the informant with someone who could sell the drug. The informant purchased a half-ounce of crystal meth, Allessio said.

Although the money and drugs were not exchanged at La Hacienda, Allessio said the business was used as a location to make the arrangement.

About a month later, a similar exchange was conducted with Juarez. That time, in addition to the fake documents, the informant bought a pound of methamphetamine, Allessio said.

Although officers had observed the exchanges, federal agents held off on an arrest. Allessio doesn't know why, but with the investigation in the hands of federal authorities local officials cooperated.

``Somebody that's dealing that kind of quantity (of drugs) is somebody (federal investigators) are going to be interested in, and we're not going to jeopardize that,'' Allessio said.

Local officers continued to keep watch over the activities of Juarez, Delgado-Gonzales and Ochoa for about a year.

But May 11, an officer witnessed Delgado-Gonzales sell manufactured documents in a hand-to-hand exchange near Alder Street and Ninth Avenue, Allessio said.

Delgado-Gonzales' subsequent arrest prompted officials to decide they needed to quickly apprehend Juarez and Ochoa, who had been indicted by a federal grand jury.

Allessio said Juarez was arrested at his business between 7 and 7:30 that evening. Authorities allegedly confiscated computer equipment and numerous fake documents from the business. They also found cocaine in Juarez's office and at a separate unattached storage area of his, Allessio said. He added that Juarez will likely face state charges for the cocaine possession, rather than federal charges.

During a consensual search of Delgado-Gonzales' residence, Allessio said similar document-making items were found and seized. In addition to computer equipment and documents, officers reportedly found cardstock and laminators at the home.

Ochoa was arrested May 12 at his work for his alleged involvement in distributing and aiding and abetting the distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.

FREEPER ACTIVISM: If the bonding agencies for Washington's tax-exempt state and municipal municipal transportation and highways, municipal school bonding, utilities bonding, and the like, are ignoring illegals' activities, they are violating their fiduciary responsibility. Ignoring blatant felonious activity could be construed as aiding and abetting. The SEC should be advised of your concerns. EMAIL enforcement@SEC.gov.

FREEPER ACTIVISM Most bonding agents conducting state and municipal business are registered broker-dealers and members of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). They are violating their fiduciary responsibility if they ignore (or aid and abet) blatant felonious activity. They could be held liable and receive penalties. NASD and SIPC should also be contacted regarding your concerns.

FREEPER ACTIVISM Banks doing tax-exempt bonding business with states and municipalities conducting illegals activity are violating their fiduciary responsibility if they choose to ignore blatant felonious activity. They could be held liable for jeopardizing the financial interests of bank patrons, shareholders, and depositors and should be reported as follows:

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is the primary federal regulator for national banks. The OCC's Customer Assistance Group is available to assist customers with questions or complaints concerning national banks. Email to Customer.Assistance@occ.treas.gov.

You can reach one of the OCC Customer Assistance Specialists by calling toll free number, 1-800-613-6743, Monday-Thursday, 9-4, and Friday 9-3.

If duly elected government officials--and employees on the government payroll---are aiding and abetting illegals to break the law, to obtain the unlawful right to vote, and if illegals used phony documents to vote on tax-exempt bond issues, this might be a violation of the Hobbs Act.

If elected and appointed officals did, in fact, allow illegals to break the law to serve on municipal councils, and if illegals are making monetary (taxing) decisions for U.S. Citizens, this could be a violaiton of the Hobbs Act.

If elected and appointed officials took campaign contributions from said illegals, this could be characterized as extortion, and/or bribery, and a violation of the Hobbs Act.

The Hobbs Act was used recently to nail four Tenn state legislators and their aids in an extortion scheme. The TENN groups was arrested under the federal Hobbs Act, charging extortion, conspiracy to extort and attempted extortion, and accepting bribes by an agent of the state.

The Hobbs Act covers extortion by public officials, as follows: 2403 Hobbs Act -- Extortion By Force, Violence, or Fear

SOURCE October 1997 Criminal Resource Manual 2403 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/crm02403.htm

9-131.000 THE HOBBS ACT -- 18 U.S.C. § 1951
9-131.020 Investigative and Supervisory Jurisdiction
Primary investigative jurisdiction of offenses in 18 U.S.C. § 1951 lies with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Inspector General's Office of Investigations, Division of Labor Racketeering (formerly the Office of Labor Racketeering), United States Department of Labor, is also authorized to investigate violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1951 in labor-management disputes involving the extortion of property from employers by reason of authority conferred on investigators as Special Deputy United States Marshals.

Supervisory jurisdiction over 18 U.S.C. § 1951 is exercised by the following offices with respect to the offenses noted:

1. Extortion under color of official right or extortion by a public official through misuse of his/her office is supervised by the Public Integrity Section, Criminal Division.

2. Extortion and robbery in labor-management disputes is supervised by the Labor-Management Unit of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, Criminal Division.

3. All other extortion and robbery offenses not involving public officials or labor-management disputes are supervised by the Terrorism and Violent Crimes Section,
Criminal Division.

And, of course, a state or municipality that allowed fraudulent voting on tax-exempt bonding issues, and/or that misued tax-exempt bonding, should be reported to the IRS.

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