Former Cedar Rapids restaurant owner convicted of citizenship fraud

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A former Cedar Rapids and Waterloo restaurant owner pleaded guilty Friday in federal court here to obtaining his U.S. citizenship through fraud. This plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth, Northern District of Iowa; the case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Jose de Jesus Ibarra-Castaneda, 37, from Marion, Iowa, former owner of the Hacienda Las Glorias and Casa Las Glorias restaurants, was convicted of lying on his application to obtain his U.S. citizenship in 2002.

At the plea hearing, Ibarra-Castaneda admitted he knowingly failed to truthfully answer all of the questions on his naturalization application. In a plea agreement, Ibarra-Castaneda admitted that between 1996 and 2002, he knowingly committed the following crimes: (1) hiring illegal aliens; (2) harboring and conspiring to harbor illegal aliens; (3) using counterfeit alien registration cards; (4) knowingly accepting counterfeit resident alien cards to allow persons to work who were not legally in the United States; and (5) conspiring to use counterfeit alien registration cards and accepting counterfeit resident alien cards to allow persons to work who were not legally in the United States.

Ibarra-Castaneda failed to report his prior criminal activity when he applied to become a U.S. citizen. He is currently serving a prison sentence for his 2004 convictions for filing a false income tax return and knowingly hiring illegal aliens at his restaurants. "Anyone who lies on a federal application to obtain an immigration benefit commits a federal offense and is subject to criminal arrest and prosecution," said Michael Vail, resident agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Cedar Rapids. "ICE aggressively investigates benefit fraud to shut down vulnerabilities that pose a threat to national security. This enforcement also helps maintain the integrity of the immigration process. We will continue to pursue those individuals who obtain legitimate benefits through fraudulent means."

Ibarra-Castaneda faces a maximum penalty of up to an additional 10 years' in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a 3-year term on supervised release, revocation of his certificate of naturalization, and deportation to Mexico.

Sentencing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ibarra-Castaneda remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Reinert, Northern District of Iowa, prosecuted this case.

Go ICE!!!

Jtevans, I only just spotted an error you made in another post. I re-read previous threads of same type at someone's suggestion. You had made a comment about the US paying 281 million for Azlatan.

U.S. Land Purchases


The Louisiana Purchase, completed 1803, was negotiated by Robert Livingston during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson; the territory was acquired from France for 15 million dollars. A small portion of this land was ceded to the United Kingdom in 1818 in exchange for the Red River Basin. More of this land was ceded to Spain in 1819 with the Florida Purchase, but was later reacquired through Texas annexation and Mexican Cession.
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West Florida was declared by President James Madison to be a U.S. possession in 1810.
(Hmmmmmm, was Spanish wasn't it)
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Texas Annexation of 1845: In 1836 the Republic of Texas voted to be annexed by the United States. Despite the fact that Mexican leader Antonio López de Santa Anna warned that this would be "equivalent to a declaration of war against the Mexican Republic," President John Tyler signed a treaty of annexation with Texas in April 1844. After James Polk, a strong supporter of territorial expansion, won the presidency, but before he took office, Congress approved the annexation of Texas on February 28, 1845. On December 29, 1845, Texas became the 28th state.

Annexation means take, period.
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# Mexican Cession lands were a product of the Mexican-American War and the subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed February 2, 1848. In this treaty, Mexico gave the U.S. parts of what is Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming, and the whole of California, Nevada and Utah and recognized the Rio Grande as Texas' Southern border. The United States paid Mexico $15 million. In addition, the United States agreed to pay claims made by American citizens against Mexico, which amounted to more than $3 million.
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Gadsden Purchase of 1853, United States purchased a strip of land along the U.S.-Mexico border for $10 million, now in New Mexico and Arizona. This territory was later used for the southern transcontinental railroad.

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The Guano Islands Act of 1856 provided for U.S. claims to unoccupied islands. Baker Island, Howland Island, and Navassa Island were annexed in under its provisions in 1857. Today ownership of Navassa is disputed between the U.S. and Haiti. Johnston Atoll was claimed by the U.S. and Hawaii in 1858; the U.S. claim became undisputed in 1898 after the annexation of Hawaii. Midway Atoll was discovered and claimed in 1859 and formally annexed 1867. Kingman Reef was annexed in 1922.
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Alaska Purchase
Russia was in a difficult financial position and feared losing the Alaskan territory without compensation in some future conflict, especially to their rivals the British, who could easily capture the hard-to-defend region. Therefore the Tsar Alexander II decided to sell the territory to the US and instructed Russian minister to the United States, Eduard de Stoeckl, to enter into negotiations with Seward in the beginning of March 1867.

The negotiations concluded after an all-night session with the signing of the treaty at 9 o'clock in the morning of March 30, with the purchase price set at $7,200,000 (about 1.9¢ per acre). American public opinion was generally positive, but some newspaper
writers and editors had negative feelings about the purchase of land.
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Hawaii, annexed 1898 upon the request of a government made up primarily of American and European businessmen who had overthrown the Kingdom of Hawaii. With Hawaii came the Palmyra Atoll which had been annexed by the U.S. in 1859 but later abandoned, then later claimed by Hawaii.
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# Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba, ceded by Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898, and for which the United States compensated Spain an additional $20 million under the terms of Article 3 of the Treaty of Paris. All four of these areas were under United States Military Government (USMG) for extended periods. Cuba became an independent nation in 1902, and the Philippines became an independent nation in 1946.
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Wake Island, annexed in 1899 (the claim is currently disputed by the Marshall Islands.)
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# American Samoa, occupied in 1899, made a formal territory in 1929.

* Tutuila Island and Aunuu Island ceded by their chiefs in 1900, then added to American Samoa.
* Manua, annexed in 1904, then added to American Samoa.
* Swains Island, annexed in 1925 (occupied since 1856), then added to American Samoa (The claim is currently disputed by Tokelau, a colonial territory of New Zealand).
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United States Virgin Islands, bought from the Danish Crown for $25 million on January 17, 1917 during World War I. Virgin Islands inhabitants became American citizens in 1927.
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Never has the U.S. paid 281 million dollars for any land it has aquired.

Note also the frequent appearance of the term 'Annexed' or 'Annexation'. It's a fancy word for take, steal. Ask any home-owner who has had land annexed by municipal / county / State (Provincial) government.

Gee. He provided employment, was a part of local economy, paid suppliers (meat, vegetables, cleaning supplies, and all other requirements for a restaurant.) Caught on a wrist slap offense. The only reason it nailed Capone was because of the amounts of cash involved.

Damn fury, would you suck their ****s if they whipped it out too??? You leave soo much out of that little click and paste it really doesnt say anything!

Florida was conqured;

Late in 1817, Andrew Jackson received orders to subdue the Seminole Indians, who were raiding across the border from Spanish Florida.

Liberally interpreting his vague instructions, Jackson effected a lightning conquest of Florida itself. He captured its bastions at St. Marks and Pensacola and arrested, tried, and executed two British nationals whom he charged with abetting the Indians.

Foreign diplomats and some congressmen demanded that Jackson be repudiated and punished for his unauthorized invasion, but at the urging of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, President James Monroe stood firm.

Whether anticipated by the administration or not, Jackson's action served American ends of nudging Spain to cede Florida in an 1819 treaty.

A private controversy smoldered for years between Jackson, Monroe, and Secretary of War John C. Calhoun over whether Jackson had in fact exceeded orders. It finally broke open in 1831, contributing to a political rupture between then-President Jackson and his vice-president Calhoun.

Jackson resigned his army commission and was appointed governor of the new Florida Territory in 1821. He presided over the transfer of authority from the Spanish, then resigned and came home to Tennessee, where his friends were planning to promote him for the presidency in 1824.

He won the Presidency!!

Heres another of Jacksons exploits;

After this striking success as a militia commander, Jackson was commissioned a United States major general in May 1814 and given command of the southern frontier. The British were planning an attack on New Orleans, strategic gateway to the American interior. To block them, Jackson assembled a motley force of regulars, volunteers, militia, free blacks, and pirates. The British made landfall and advanced to near the city, where Jackson had fortified a line straddling the Mississippi River. On January 8, 1815, British General Sir Edward Pakenham led a frontal assault on Jackson's position. Some inexperienced Americans on the west bank broke and ran but in the main attack on the east bank, Jackson's men mowed down the advancing enemy with artillery and rifle fire. British casualties exceeded two thousand; Jackson lost thirteen dead, fifty-eight wounded and missing.

British casualties exceeded two thousand; Jackson lost thirteen dead, fifty-eight wounded and missing.


British casualties exceeded two thousand; Jackson lost thirteen dead, fifty-eight wounded and missing.

They call those soldiers British regulars. They were, but then again they were Canadians. Fighting England's war like a bunch of good patsies!

I see not much has changed! Shame my friend, shame!

Mexico had no choice to give it up. The American Army had marched all the way to Mexico city and possessed their capital!

We gave it back!!!!

Of course Santa Anna started it when he tried to push Texans around after they settled a land that the Mexicans wouldn't!

I have said it before, I prefer the word conqueror, and I dont plan on losing whats ours, sitting around listening to a bunch of bleeding hearts!!

Canada doesnt have to worry about it. Nobody wants Canada, not even the Canadians!

If by some remote chance they might, dont worry we will protect you!!!

I happen to like Canada

Been to Canada many times. I like Canada.

i happen to like canada and don't really think of it as another country as it is right here 20 mins from me

I keep telling you Fanta. We are slowly taking over. First Florida then the rest of the country. We already have a better dollar.










You know I'm going to have fun.