Fil-Am human smuggler gets 5 years in California

A Filipino-American from California has been sentenced by a US district judge to five years in a federal prison for facilitating the illegal entry of more than 3,000 Filipinos to the United States.

Charles Joseph Becker, 53, of Beverly Hills had been convicted by a jury on five felony counts, including "fraud and misuse of visas" and "inducing illegal aliens to enter the US."

On Tuesday, Judge Dickran Tervizian of the central district of California imposed the five-year sentence to be followed by three years of supervised release after finding Becker was operating an immigration business intended to bring Filipinos to the US illegally. The judge and jury also found Becker culpable for perjury, intimidation of witnesses and obstruction of justice.

Becker ran a criminal enterprise based in Manila and Los Angeles. Investigation showed that over a 23-year span he had facilitated the illegal entry of more than 3,000 Filipinos to the US by providing fraudulent documentation and false identities.

After his clients arrived in the US, Becker would issue them fraudulent social security and immigration documents so they could seek employment.

Becker and five former employees have been formally charged in the Philippines with fraud and related activities.

Becker’s arrest and conviction came as a result of close coordination between US law enforcement agencies and the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila.

Earlier this week, a Filipino-American immigration official and four other people were charged with smuggling illegal aliens from the Philippines into the US through Los Angeles International Airport.

They were charged with allegedly conspiring to meet immigrants at arriving flights, diverting them from connecting flights and escorting them past airport security, according to a criminal complaint filed under seal Friday by the US Attorney’s Office.