Tag: refugees

Frauds, Crooks, Criminals and Terrorists: Are There Iranian Sleeper Cells Waiting for a Signal?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 8 Comments

***Alert***

When I saw the news (h/t Chris) I did some searching and sure enough there is a lot of discussion on the topic today for obvious reasons.

If you’ve been thinking about this possibility for years, you know very well that there are easy targets in rural America.

The story from Law Enforcement Today is entitled,

Former Secret Service, CIA agent issues warning: Prepare for Iran sleeper cells to strike rural America

IRAN TENSIONS COME TO A BOILING POINT: IS MAIN STREET READY?

In the wake of growing tensions in the Middle East, the United States has made a deliberate strike against the most prolific state sponsor of terrorism.

The killing of Iran’s Quds Force General, Qassem Soleimani, has sparked much debate across the aisle of whether or not this action is an act of war by President Trump.

Regardless of where you stand, the act of terrorism has increased for months before the US response. The question is, is America ready for attacks in the homeland?

As a country, we have been blinded by the possibility of a concentrated attack on US soil and many Americans, including our politicians, have forgotten the grim reality of 9/11 and not given our adversaries the respect they deserve.

We have allowed our guard to be lowered with debates of human rights for open borders, disregarding threats on social media and handcuffing the hands of our law enforcement officers to protect and serve.

Art Del Cueto, the Vice President of the National Border Patrol Union and President of the Arizona Border Patrol Union, touched on it this week:

“We need to take securing our nation’s borders very serious. With the huge rise in individuals claiming asylum, we truthfully don’t know enough about those individuals past, much less their true intentions. Drug cartels are the ones that control our southern borders and they do not care about human lives, it’s all about the money,” he said.

Del Cueto rightfully pointed out that the border opens us up to terrorists walking right into America.

(But, indeed, they are likely already here!)

More here.

Better safe than sorry, it’s important that you pay attention to your surroundings in the days, weeks and months ahead.  And, report to local authorities anything that causes you concern as you go about your daily lives.

P.S. We are still bringing in Muslim refugees (in case you thought that had been stopped).  And, in what can only be described as insane, we bring almost equal numbers of Shiites and Sunnis, I guess so they can continue their centuries-old wars right here on American soil.  See my post today at RRW.

CAIR “thrilled” with Governor Hogan’s Letter in Support of More Muslim Refugees for Maryland

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 5 Comments

Editor:  This is cross-posted from Refugee Resettlement Watch this afternoon.  I had planned a new post for ‘Frauds and Crooks’ but was so annoyed by this news about my governor’s action that I posted this at RRW and want you to see it too (in case you don’t read RRW).

 

We are thrilled with this decision.”

 (Zainab Chaudry, director of CAIR Maryland outreach)

Of course they are, they have apparently been lobbying him heavily. Just as you can be sure they were busy in most states making sure that governors, especially Republican governors, toed the line.

I told you about Hogan’s consent yesterday, here.  I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise because he has always been a ‘never Trumper’ so supporting the President on reform of the UN-driven Refugee Admissions Program wasn’t at the top of his priority list.

So far I am not seeing any Maryland county governments begging for refugees (although I can think of several ready to invite more ‘diversity’ and more poverty to their counties).

From WBAL-TV:

Hogan letter: Maryland will keep door open to refugees

BALTIMORE —
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is praising Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to agree to receive refugees this year while criticizing President Donald Trump’s policies.

CAIR power! Big smooch for Hogan!

Hogan made his decision well before a Jan. 21 deadline set by the Trump administration.

In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Hogan wrote, “We are willing to accept refugees who the federal government has determined are properly and legally seeking refugee status and have been adequately vetted.”***

“They are a great asset to Baltimore and to Maryland,” said Ibrahim Abusway, community development of Islamic Circle of North America Relief USA.

“We are thrilled with this decision,” said Zainab Chaudry, director of CAIR Maryland outreach.

The president imposed the requirement for cities and states to make a decision as to whether or not they would accept refugees after he cut the total number of refugees the United States will accept to a historic low of 18,000.

“This is just another step that is indicative of the Trump administration’s anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-refugee agenda,” Chaudry said.

While Maryland has accepted nearly 10,000 refugees under the Hogan Administration since 2016, Hogan was among 31 governors who wanted to refuse Syrian refugees in 2015.  

“In 2018, CAIR had the opportunity to actually introduce Gov. Hogan to a couple Syrian refugee families that were settled in the Baltimore area, and not only was he able to hear more about their personal story, the circumstances that led them to flee their country and civil war and strife and to settle here in the United States, but he also learned about how they were launching a small business,” Chaudry said.

Just so you know, by very large margins (even under Trump), the vast majority of Syrians entering the US are Muslims.

*** This vetting issue is a red herring!  Hogan surely knows that you can’t robustly vet anyone when they come from failed states.  The vetting in many cases involves nothing more than asking the refugee if he/she has associated with any terrorist groups.  What do you think they will say!  Lying to infidels is permitted in the Islamic ‘faith.’

And, besides, the State Department’s Funding Guidance expressly says a governor can’t put any conditions on his/her letter.  However, Hogan did place a condition—he said they must be “legally vetted refugees” (whatever that means!).  See his letter here.

Was that so he could throw a little bone to all of you who might be concerned about who he is welcoming to Maryland?

Here is what the Funding Guidance says:

The letter may consent to initial resettlement for refugees only in certain localities within the state, but otherwise must convey the state government’s unambiguous and unconditional consent to accept the initial resettlement of any refugee in that state in FY 2020. The consent may not be conditioned on acceptance of certain refugees or on any other factor, such as refugees’ race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin.

For the umpteenth time—why are the squabbling factions in the Middle East our problem?  They have been fighting among themselves for centuries and we are then expected to take them in—why?

 

New Americans Sent to Slammer over Massive Health Care Fraud Scheme

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 3 Comments

“[A]fter arriving in the United States from Cuba on a raft seeking refuge and a better life…they proceeded to build a vast empire of fraud.”

I could not find a photo of the Cuban crooks.

 

Here is the news directly from the US Justice Department, and I must say this is one of the better press releases I’ve seen from the feds especially for its mention of the fact that the Cuban crooks were refugees who then took advantage of us. (Immigration history is rarely mentioned.)

(Thanks to one of my many readers who share tips with me.)

We gave them an opportunity for a good life, they ripped us off and now we must pay for their incarceration!

Husband and Wife Sentenced to Prison for Roles in $38 Million Health Care Fraud and Wire Fraud Scheme

Rodolfo Pichardo, 71, of Hialeah, Florida was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for masterminding a $38 million health care fraud and wire fraud scheme. His wife Marta Pichardo, 66, was sentenced to 8 years in prison for her role in the scheme.

[….]

Rodolfo Pichardo and Marta Pichardo previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. On December 4, 2019, Rodolfo Pichardo, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz to 188 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $33,841,576 in restitution. Today, Marta Pichardo was sentenced by Judge Ruiz to 96 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $10,482,178 in restitution.

According to court documents, after arriving in the United States from Cuba on a raft seeking refuge and a better life, the Rodolfo Pichardo and his wife Marta Pichardo settled in Miami-Dade County, Florida where they proceeded to build a vast empire of fraud, consisting of at least six fraudulent home health agencies, three fraudulent therapy staffing companies, and two fraudulent pharmacies. Each of these entities purportedly provided home health services, therapy services, and prescription drugs, respectively, to qualified Medicare beneficiaries, though in fact and as both Rodolfo and Marta Pichardo knew, they did not.

From May 2010 through September 2016, the Pichardos and their co-conspirators used this empire to submit more than $38 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, for which the trust-based program then paid out more than $33 million.

Fueled their lavish lifestyle with your money!

The Pichardos then used this money to purchase multiple properties, high-end vehicles, expensive jewelry, plane tickets, vacations, cosmetic procedures, and more, both for themselves and their family members.

As part of the scheme, Rodolfo Pichardo offered and paid kickbacks, both by cash and by check, to numerous patient recruiters, in exchange for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries to home health agencies that he owned. The conspirators also offered and paid cash kickbacks to owners and operators of multiple Miami-Dade medical clinics, in return for acquiring medically unnecessary home health prescriptions for the recruited Medicare beneficiaries. These prescriptions were then used by the Pichardos’ various home health agencies and pharmacies to bill Medicare for purported services and pharmaceutical drugs that were provided to allegedly qualified Medicare beneficiaries

During the long-running scheme, the Pichardos took several calculated steps to conceal the fraud and avoid detection, including using nominee owners, changing names and locations of their fraudulent entities, and creating shell companies to conceal the receipt of the fraud proceeds, hide assets and transactions, and divert proceeds for both personal use and to further the fraud.

There is a bit more here.

So much for Michael Bloomberg’s New American Economy built on immigrant entrepreneurs.

As I have said before, the President should work some of the fantastic fraud busts his Justice Department is exposing into each rally he attends.  He could direct his staff to find one or two relevant to whatever state he is visiting.

I think Florida fraudsters might outnumber Michigan schemers here at ‘Frauds and Crooks’, but I’ll check my archives tomorrow on this blogs first anniversary!

Don’t forget to check in at Refugee Resettlement Watch which has been taking most of my attention in recent weeks!

Happy New Year!

Memory Lane: Somali Refugee Planned to Bomb Oregon Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 4 Comments

Editor:  Sorry I have been remiss in getting things posted here at ‘Frauds and Crooks’ this last week, but the issue of the President’s initiative to slow the flow of refugees to America has really heated up and I’ve been buried under breaking news at Refugee Resettlement Watch.  

Thanks to all of you who have e-mailed with stories for ‘Frauds and Crooks’ that I’ve been forced to ignore for now (not enough hours in my day!).  I’ll try to do better in the days ahead!

I don’t know how many of you are interested in refugee issues, but there is no shortage of refugee criminals and terrorist wannabees that are ignored by the refugee industry working against the President.

Because the FBI foiled a 2010 plot to bomb Portland’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony, these Americans enjoyed the festive event.

One such story (completely swept under the rug) is from 2010.

(Thank goodness RRW was recovered after the speech police got it removed from the internet so I can find the older stories like this one.)

Speaking of that, go here to see that I was on a panel on big tech censorship in October to explain what happened to me.

This morning the ‘Religious Left’ got me particularly fired up as they have written to 15 governors and imply refugees are pure as the driven snow—no crooks, no criminals, no murderers and no terrorists, they suggest with their cleverly-worded letter.

See that post here.

And, since it’s the Christmas season I thought readers might be interested in revisiting one of the terrorism stories the Leftwing ‘Christians’ clamoring for more Africans, Asians and Middle Easterners have carefully swept under the rug.

From Oregon Live in 2010:

FBI thwarts terrorist bombing attempt at Portland holiday tree lighting, authorities say

The FBI thwarted an attempted terrorist bombing in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square before the city’s annual tree-lighting Friday night, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.

Mohamed Osman Mohamud is a refugee (you raised to adulthood with your tax dollars) who told an FBI undercover operative that it was a “sin” for him and his family to live in the US. So he figured he might blow up some Americans as a jihadist? https://www.kunc.org/post/alleged-christmas-tree-bomber-thought-living-us-was-sin#stream/0

A Corvallis man, thinking he was going to ignite a bomb, drove a van to the corner of the square at Southwest Yamhill Street and Sixth Avenue and attempted to detonate it.

However, the supposed explosive was a dummy that FBI operatives supplied to him.

[….]

Mohamed Osman Mohamud,19, a Somali-born U.S. citizen, was arrested at 5:42 p.m., 18 minutes before the tree lighting was to occur, on an accusation of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The arrest was the culmination of a long-term undercover operation, during which Mohamud had been monitored for months as his alleged bomb plot developed.

More here.

See one of many posts on Mohamud at RRW.  He was a refugee, but apparently for the Lefty Christians an attempt at an Islamic terrorist attack doesn’t count.

KATE BROWN: 1ST OPENLY LGBT AMERICAN ELECTED GOVERNOR (OREGON) http://www.leizey.com/blog/2016/11/12/seven-times-women-cracked-the-glass-ceiling-this-week

And, for a chuckle, see that Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown is planning to tell the President that Oregon will take more Somalis.

She didn’t say Somalis, but she can’t choose which religious or ethnic groups Oregon taxpayers will ‘welcome.’

She has not yet transmitted her official letter to the US State Department.

See the official list out yesterday, here.

Shame on You if You Don’t Take 15 Minutes to Do This!

Connecticut: Syrian National Stalks Wife Gets Two Years in Prison, No Deportation

~ Ann Corcoran ~ 2 Comments

And, then WTH! he will be out and free in America. He had earlier been the subject of a deportation order.

This is the kind of news that ticks me off!  First, there is no mention of how he and his family came to be living in New Haven, CT.  Were they refugees resettled in 2016 during Obama’s big movement of Syrian refugees to Anytown, USA, or did they get here through another legal or illegal avenue?

Why are we never told?

Since there is no pic of the Syrian stalker, we’ll use the face of US Attorney John Durham who announced the light sentence that puts the Syrian back on the streets in two years!

And, of course there is no photo.  Stories like this one are dressed-up with pictures of court houses and gavels because even if a photo could be used for a foreign criminal, it rarely is!

But, of most concern in this case is the lack of any discussion about why the guilty stalker was ordered to be deported, but now gets only a couple of years in the slammer.

What is his wife going to do to protect herself in two short years?

This Justice Department press release from Tuesday is not one of their better releases. Could that be because it is written in a Connecticut DOJ office?

Syrian National Sentenced for Stalking Offense

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ALAA HASAN QALB ALLOUZ, 34, a citizen of Syria last residing in New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for stalking in violation of a protective order.

According to court documents and statements made in court, in July 2016, Allouz, his wife and their children emigrated from Syria and settled in New Haven. In April 2017, Allouz’s wife filed a petition for dissolution of marriage, after incidents of domestic violence and Allouz’s state arrests for risk of injury, assault, breach of peace, and violation of a protective order offenses. In July 2017, Allouz’s wife obtained a Standing Criminal Protective Order ordering Allouz not to contact his wife. In August 2017, after Allouz threatened his wife, Allouz’s wife withdrew her petition for dissolution of marriage.

Deportation ordered in 2018, so why wasn’t he deported!

On February 2, 2018, Allouz was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a federal arrest warrant and order of deportation, and he was transferred from a Connecticut state prison to a detention center in Massachusetts.

While in detention, he continued to threaten his wife!

While he was detained in ICE custody, Allouz made multiple phone calls to his wife during which he repeatedly harassed, threatened and intimidated her. He also made calls to other individuals during which he threatened to harm his wife and her family members. Allouz also threatened his wife and her family members in letters and e-mails.

I repeat: So why wasn’t he deported?

Allouz has been detained, first in state and then federal custody, since January 10, 2017. On February 5, 2019, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment charging him with one count of stalking in violation of a protective order. He pleaded guilty to the offense on May 15, 2019.

He gets two years behind bars at taxpayers’ expense and then will be on supervised release for three years! Who is going to protect the wife when he walks free?