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Woman in CW1 scam pleads guilty
A woman charged in federal court for her alleged involvement in a CW program scam pleaded guilty on Friday.
Rosabella P. Cruz allegedly conspired with a job-placement agency owner and another person to file petitions for CNMI-only Transitional Worker permits for some alien workers that falsely and fraudulently named the company as the workers’ employer.
Cruz, who appeared with court-appointed counsel Michael Evangelista, pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and to defraud the United States.
The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a three-year supervised release.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona set Cruz’s sentencing for July 25, 2014.
Manglona advised Cruz to maintain contact with her attorney and that she continue to abide with all of her release conditions.
According to the plea agreement, Cruz took a job at ARCH International Co. Ltd. in July 2011. She held this job until January 2012, working for Mariano K. Pangelinan.
While working for ARCH, Cruz agreed with Pangelinan to deceive U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services by preparing and filing with USCIS, on behalf of aliens, I-129 CW visa petitions that falsely named ARCH as each alien’s “employer” when she and Pangelinan knew that the company did not employ these aliens.
Cruz and Pangelinan agreed to submit false and fraudulent evidence to USCIS such as fake employment contracts between ARCH and each alien, and fake tax documents for the aliens supposedly employed by ARCH.
On July 9, 2012, Cruz took $32.32 as payment from an alien for “one month tax” when she knew that this alien had not received any wages from ARCH and that she had created the receipt solely for use to deceive USCIS.
Last December, Pangelinan pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced on May 9, 2014.
