US, RP bust human smuggling ring in LA

A major alien smuggler in Los Angeles, California and five of his staff members in Manila were arrested as a result of close coordination between Philippine and US law enforcement agencies.

The arrests were the culmination of an eight-month undercover operation against Joseph "Joey" Becker, a 53-year-old Filipino- American suspected of operating a vast alien-smuggling operation in the Philippines and the US.

The case broke when an alert consular officer caught one of Becker’s clients applying for a visa with fake documents.

When confronted by the US Embassy’s Fraud Protection Unit, the applicant agreed to cooperate with Embassy and Philippine authorities.

The US Embassy coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation, and the US Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Diplomatic Security Service so Becker could be arrested and prosecuted in the US.

Becker’s staff in Manila were picked up simultaneously with his arrest in the US and will be prosecuted in the country.

Becker, who was brought before the Magistrate for the Central District of California, was charged with felony violations of various United States Code provisions concerning passport and visa violations.

Becker is being held at the Federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. The magistrate has denied his request for bail.

Becker’s organization has facilitated thousands of illegal travelers during its 23 years in business.

As his operations in the Philippines prospered, Becker opened a branch office in Los Angeles, which was simply called "Visa Assistance."

Becker advertised in US-Filipino newspapers for prospective clients and for sponsors throughout the US, who were interested in and capable of paying the $3,000 fee for and on behalf of family or friends in the Philippines

His clients had a high success rate against visa officers in the US Embassy in Manila because of the high quality of the workmanship on the fraudulent documents and the insight Becker and his staff had developed about visa interviews.