Labor voids documents of another worker involved in letter scheme

The Department of Labor has voided the documents justifying the presence in the CNMI of an alien worker who was among those involved in a fraudulent letter scheme.

Labor hearing officer Herbert D. Soll ruled that any memorandum, permit, temporary work authorization or other documents legitimizing the stay of Song Yuqin in the Commonwealth is void.

Soll said Song has no legal basis to be in the CNMI; however, she may have until Feb. 14, 2006, in which to complete personal business.

After Feb. 14, the hearing officer said, the respondent should be referred to the Division of Immigration for appropriate action.

Soll said Song has been in the CNMI without legal justification since she abandoned her job with Micro Pacific Inc. in 2003.

Labor records show that Song’s last entry permit expired in March 2004.

Before the expiration of her permit, in September 2003, Song left Micro Pacific and paid an agent to secure papers from Labor that would allow her to seek work elsewhere.

During that month, Song presented to Labor a letter, in English, written on the letterhead of the U.S. Department of Labor that she had filed a labor complaint with the U.S. Labor Department.

The letter requested that she be allowed to remain in the CNMI until her allegations were investigated. The letter also suggested that she be given a memorandum that she could use in seeking temporary work.

Labor investigator Barry Hirshbein, however, found out that the letter was a fraudulent document prepared by Zhou Ying.

Zhou has been convicted of a criminal offense as a result of the forgery. He has already been deported.

The CNMI Labor, relying on information contained in the false letter, issued a memorandum legitimizing Songs’ right to seek work. The memorandum validated song’s presence in the Commonwealth.

Song denied any personal knowledge of the scheme.

Soll said the request that Song be sanctioned in the form of a permanent disqualification from further employment, will not be granted “because the facts give rise to a presumption that Song had no criminal intent and merely relied upon Zhou Ying.”

“Whether Song Yuqin was a conspirator in the scheme or she was unaware of the methods used by her agent and merely followed Zhou’s lead, the law does not support her presence in the Commonwealth,” Soll said.