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U.S. visa fixer pleads not guilty
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Posted on Feb 15 2000
Thirty-six-year-old Lourdes R. Guevarra, who was accused of swindling several Filipinos in exchange for a U.S. visa and work permit, yesterday pled not guilty to charges during an arraignment before the Superior Court.
But Assistant Attorney General Marvin J. Williams has asked the court to order Ms. Guevarra to surrender her passport due to the possibility that she may leave the island, citing information that the suspect has purchased a plane ticket to go off-island.
Last week Ms. Guevarra was charged with three counts each of criminal deception, theft by deception and failure to make the required disposition of funds.
Based on the information filed by Mr. Williams, Ms. Guevarra received $100 from a nonresident worker after presenting herself as an authorized person to obtain CNMI work permits. However, she failed to provide the promised document. In June 1999, Ms. Guevarra took an additional $1,500 from the same victim.
The suspect received $1,500 from another victim, a Filipino, on Sept. 7, 1999, whom she promised to provide with a U.S. visa that was never delivered.
The charges were filed against Ms. Guevarra after the Philippine Consulate sounded the alarm against an alleged swindler who has gypped more than 20 Filipinos with thousands of dollars in exchange for a U.S. visa.
According to Consul Julia Heidemann, the suspect represents herself as capable of securing U.S. entry visa for her victims through the American embassies in the Republic of Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia. The modus operandi was only unearthed when several Filipinos approached U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
Service Saipan Representative Oscar Martinez to find out the proper procedure in securing American entry visa.
The Filipinos were later on informed that the only way they could apply for a U.S. visa is through the American embassy in their country of origin. Ms. Heidemann said the suspect demanded between $2,000 and $3,000 from each of the victims in exchange of her facilitating their U.S. visa application in American consular offices in
Koror and Phonpei.
