Harrington fugitive brought back to U.S.

Harrington fugitive brought back to U.S.


By Bill Trotter
BDN Staff
BANGOR DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO
Juan Centeno Perez makes change for a migrant worker as he sells Mexican food from his truck in Island Falls in 2003. Perez, of Harrington, delivers ethnic food to migrant workers throughout the state. Buy Photo

BANGOR, Maine — A former Harrington resident who has been sought by law enforcement officials for nearly two years is back in U.S. custody after being extradited from Canada, according to court documents.

Juan Centeno Perez, 47, originally was indicted in September 2007 on charges that he conspired to hire illegal aliens to work at a sea cucumber processing plant in Lubec and at Mexican Restaurant on Route 1 in the town of Hancock. At the time he was charged, his whereabouts were unknown and he was believed to have fled the area.

Last August, Perez was indicted on additional charges that he transported and harbored illegal aliens and that he knowingly provided false information about himself to federal immigration authorities. Also charged in the same case was his wife, Doris Amanda Ayala Escalante, who in March 2008 was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Bangor to serve 14 months in prison.

According to documents on file in U.S. District Court in Bangor, at some point since his indictment Perez was located and detained in Canada. Originally from Mexico, Perez was brought back to the United States on Wednesday and appeared Thursday in federal court in Bangor, the documents indicate.

In court, Perez waived his right to a detention hearing. Judge John Woodcock ordered Perez held in custody pending the outcome of his case, according to the documents.

If convicted of the three charges, Perez could face up to 25 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines, according to court documents.

Attempts Thursday and Friday to contact federal prosecutor Nancy Torreson for comment on Perez’s case were unsuccessful. The U.S. Department of Justice has a policy of not commenting on cases until they have been resolved in court.

Perez’s attorney, Ronald Bourget of Augusta, said Friday that his client was stopped in Canada by police and was detained after they determined he was wanted in Maine. He said he was not sure where in Canada his client was detained, but that it was not at a border crossing. He said he thinks Perez was stopped in a city in On-tario or Quebec.

Bourget, who has had Perez as a client only since Wednesday, said he was not sure how long Perez was in Canadian custody. According to court documents, Perez has been held by authorities in Canada at least since last August.

Bourget said that it would be premature for him to comment on the charges against his client.

“We’ve entered a plea of not guilty,” he said.

According to the federal grand jury indictment of Perez, he was contracted in January 2005 by ISF Trading Co. Inc., the owner of the Lubec processing plant, to find and hire temporary employees at the plant, where his wife worked as a supervisor. At the time, Perez also owned Mexican Restaurant in Hancock, which he signed over to Escalante along with his employee contracting business in early 2007.

In 2006, a van carrying 18 illegal immigrants broke down in Machias as they were headed to work in Lubec from mobile homes Perez had rented for them in Columbia from Worcester Wreath Co., according to the indictment. The occupants of the van were apprehended by federal border patrol agents, but not before one of the illegal immigrants used a cell phone to contact Perez, who allegedly urged them to hide, the document indicated.

That same year, Perez was notified in a letter from the Social Security Administration that 58 of the employee names and Social Security numbers that he reported to federal tax officials did not match the agency’s records, according to the indictment. In January 2007, Perez allegedly conspired with Escalante to hire 17 illegal immigrants to work in Lubec, the document indicates.

Bourget said Friday that there were many things about the case that he was not familiar with or was reluctant to comment on. He said that Perez was detained in Canada while trying to reunite himself with his family.

“He loves his wife and family,” Bourget said. “Mr. Perez would like to be allowed to live and to work in the U.S.”

When Escalante was sentenced by Woodcock, however, she told the judge that she suffered years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband. The judge sentenced her to serve 14 months behind bars instead of 27 months, which is recommended by federal sentencing guidelines, because of the influence Perez allegedly had over his wife’s criminal conduct.

“I cannot confirm or deny that at this time,” Bourget said about whether his client and Escalante have maintained their relationship.

In October 2007, Escalante pleaded guilty to visa fraud and to conspiring to hire illegal aliens. Because of time she already had spent behind bars at the time of her March 2008 sentencing, Escalante was released from prison in July 2008, according to information posted online by the federal Bureau of Prisons. Escalante, a native of Honduras, has two teenage daughters who are American citizens.

BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.

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Comments
24 comments on this item

How come the Feds dont close down Worcester Wreath. Thanks to Morril Worcester western washington county has been a very unsafe place to live. Due to imported drugs from illegals anything that is not locked up is stolen.

For all of you that think that Worcester Weath is so wonderful for Wreath across america...read the above article again. WORCESTER WREATH WAS (and still does) HARBORING ILLEGALS.

Every time an article is written about Worcester Wreath and Wreaths Across America...I want to PUKE.

bob, jealousy is ugly.

If we could get the IRS to stop taxing locals for seasonal wreath making, berry raking, etc. they wouldn't need to bring in illegals.

What happened to the high school kids who used to be willing to rake berries and make wreaths for spending money? What happened to youth work ethic and enterprise? Our own sloth, greed, and laziness has contributed greatly to the imported labor force.

i agree with freewill on this matter. every hard physically demanding jobs you have to get mexicans to do it. the spoiled little youth of today would not go out in hayfields, broccoli fields and now even potatoe fields. the youth of today would rather stay home and play video games or steal there neighors drug cabinet. i know growing up, i had to pick rocks in potatoes fields, pick hay, taters. not many of todays youth will do that but will complain at the sight of some mexicans stealing their jobs, jobs they r to lazy to do.

oh please. The two companies downeast, Wymans and Cherryfield Foods have both begun using harvesters during the season. I know kids down there who couldnt GET on a crew. The hard working people that still make wreaths downeast struggle to find buyers for their wreaths because companies like Worcester Wreath buy Canandian. They're cheaper but the wreaths them selves look like crap. It's not the kids. Parents encourage their kids to leave Washington Cty, and I dont blame them.

ralphie mcdevitts; looks like im not the only one "jealous"

On-tario ? it is spelled Ontario

,

anthoine wrote: "i agree with freewill on this matter. every hard physically demanding jobs you have to get mexicans to do it."

.

NONSENSE !

.

Twice a week here in New York City, sanitation workers are collecting smelly, dripping, and sometimes dangerous garbage before dawn, slinging heavy bags and cans of the stuff again and again and again, while walking for miles behind smelly trucks int he wind, rain, snow, and boiling humid heat. AND THEY ARE ALL CITIZENS.

.

And somebody tells me that picking tomatoes is a tougher job that that?

.

Sanitation workers are just one example--there are plenty of other hard dirty and sometimes dangerous jobs that American citizens happily do.

.

You pay the American worker a living wage, and he will get the job done.

.

bobsmith: someone leaks jesus, mexicans come running...

You shouldn't have to send for slaves from half way around the world. We did that before and the black folk didn't like it. Now we slave the Mexicans and expect diferen't results. I think reparations to the Mexicans are in order.

I can spell bettern that, sorrie.

It's time to round up and deport illegals. It's been done before, 3 times in fact, during recessions and depressions, by our Gov't... Let's get it done.

Take the many, many people of washington county off welfare and put them in the blueberry fields and send the Mexicans home. Oh Morrill wouldn't like that because he would have to pay fair wages. It is so sad to look around this county and see as many people as there are living on assistance and compaining because there is no work yet thousands of migrants come here seasonally to work. Get off your asses and beat them to the jobs!!!!

hey hippykicker if you're not a native American the how did your ancestors get here , some of mine were illegal stowaways running from the Irish potato famine.And some probably just took the land from the "savages". Yes people should go through the proper channels or suffer the but don't sound so holier than thou us versus them about it".

I would be a little nervous sending my kid to rake now, especially with all the illegal’s in the fields. As someone said machines are replacing humans.

I wonder why the IRS is not involved here in Washington County. There is major TAX EVASION going on with the hiring of Illegal Aliens by Local Companies. These Washington County Companies are not paying income tax on these Illegal Aliens not to mention Social Security and other taxes. The Illegals and the Local Washington County Companies should be busted for Tax Evasion.

I wonder when Perez filed his last Income Tax Form? The Feds nailed Capone on income tax evasion its time to nail the Illegal Aliens and Washington County Companies for harboring and hiring Illegals to evade TAXES. If Baldy didn't run a sanctuary state for Illegals, imagine all the lost state income tax that can be collected from the Illegal Aliens and the Companies. These Illegals and Companies are committing tax fraud against the state and the Feds.

Stopped at a McDonalds drive thru the other day, I couldn't even understand the guy. He screwed up the order. I look in and all I saw working was immigrants. It is becoming very frustrating when you can’t find someone who speaks English. These people breed like rabbits and the tax payer is the one paying.

Some of these comments are quite interesting... Just my oppinion but...

leumas: we wouldn't need illegal aliens to do the "dirty work" if half of our youth and welfare collectors would do it. It's not slavery if they are lining up to do the work. Mainer1234: I am not saying ALL of the welfare recipients but A LOT wouldn't work for a living because they would make less than they do now. treeplanter: Are you kidding me? It's 2009, please update your outlook. Telefunkinu47: How do you know they were immigrants? By looking? The last time I checked there are all sorts of DIFFERENT types of AMERICANS.

berquis, Gee Wolly I just don't know how I know...Maybe they no speaky English??? Come on down to the Mid Atlantic then you will see what I'm talking about.

You can still be an American and "speaky no English". Gee Wolly??? Really?

You can tell. They speaky English, but not very well.

They are like rats and taking over. On every corner..

My name is trina perry and I am american that is with and practically married too a hispanic....Alot of you guys are so ignorant to the fact of knowing anything about a mexican or hondurean or el salvadorean or ETC.... I am in the mix first hand with them and have been for over 5 years and know that they (1st) are not here trafficing drugs,....a majority of them and I mean a big majority don't and will not allow that type of situation around themselves. (2nd) The whole thing about tax evasion,...you are wrong and dont have a clue what you are talking about,..I do alot of hispanics taxes and they claim every year,...not only for themselves but there american children and they have every right to,...without a tax number (social security number) they can't claim anything. So if they go to work in the fields or in factories or where ever they choose,.. and they are illegal,..the money doesnt come out of tax payers pockets,...the only pocket it does come out of is the employer. (3rd) If the slum of Americans that sit on there asses and do nothing except dealing in marijuana or oxy's or all the other things, would get off there asses and go to work then maybe just maybe you would realize how useful the hispanics are,...our country is held up and taken care of because of the work that hispanics do,.. without them, our country would fall apart. (4th) The hispanic believe in the ethic of work and establishment,..they don't take from nobody,..Jealosy plays a big role in the fact that you think they steal from the community,..the only persons stealing from you is your own race,...open up your eyes people!! (5th) Worcestor Wreath is a Equal Oppurtunity Employer,..and who applies that is hispanic has a very intensive status check,.. not matching name or social security,.. calls for a let go,...I have worked there for 5 years and I have seen first hand what happens when a person is illegal,..my boyfriend and I have had to say goodbye to alot of really hard working friends..

Not Only are you guys wrong,...But you jump to Judgement way to fast,..when an american and a hispanic are at a factory job and the work starts to get hard,.. who do you think will be the first to complain about it?

We are in a world that has a huge diversity and the only people that seem to get judged or discriminated against are the ones that actually make a difference by being here.

SLAVES:::: What do we live in the 1800'S ? The people that come here from there country arent working because we tell them too or because they have no choice,.. they are working because they are trying to take care of there families here and there families back at home,...and to be honest,.. are they hurting anyone by doing that?? Not a single person!! They don't profit off of us, they don't steal from us,..they don't cause trouble while being here,....so why not just leave them alone??

I will tell you this and its a little info for thought,...If a hispanic and an american applied to, lets say 10 jobs,...at the same places,...I can guarentee that the person hiring wouldnt even call the american person for an interview!!!

And another thing for thought,....where do you think we all came from,...do you think that because we all live in maine or look white or speak english that we are what we appear??? We all originated from an ancestor that was trying to make there way to "AMERICA" Before too,...We all were black or hispanic or japenese once before too,...but because what you see in the mirror is white and blonde hair or whatever you look like you think that excludes you from this race??? Well you are probably very wrong about that too!!

I am going to end this by saying that,... I think that this whole comment board needs to take a look around and see who is keeping our cities looking beautiful or our buildings standing high or our transportation running smoothly,.. or even keeping things a constant flow on the market!??? Really think about it before you look at someone and see there color and assume that they are a bad person!

If anyone wants to write me about what I have written here they can email me at Mikiah98@yahoo.com

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