Gaming the Immigration System

There is a wonderful Yiddish term that has become a part of the American lexicon- that term is “Chutzpah!”

The classic example of chutzpah is the young man who kills both parents and, upon conviction for his heinous crimes, pleads for mercy because he is an orphan!

Today I will provide you with an example of chutzpah that is at least comparable in audacity to that “orphaned” murderer.  It is the story about a woman who is reportedly an illegal alien from Mexico who for nearly a decade, received deductions for 20 nonexistent children she had obtained Social Security Numbers for.

The report about this incredible case is entitled: "Woman Claims 19 Non-Existant Children on Tax Returns, Now Facing 143 Years in Prison”

The amazing part of this story is that for nearly 10 years she managed to swindle our government out of tens of thousands of dollars.  What is also incredible is that the woman was not as shrewd as you might think- she claimed that all of the 20 fictitious children were all born on the same exact day- December 11, 2002!

To think people got excited about “Octomom!”

Here is an excerpt from that report:

A former Los Angeles resident was sentenced this afternoon to 18 months in federal prison for filing fraudulent federal income tax returns that claimed deductions for 20 non-existent children who were supposedly all born on the same day.

 

Norma Coronel, 40, of Livermore, California, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was sentenced today by United Stated District Judge Manuel Real. In addition to the prison term, Judge Real ordered Coronel to pay $302,186 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

 

Coronel pleaded guilty in September to three felony counts – aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent federal income tax returns, fraudulently using Social Security numbers obtained with false information, and theft of government property.

In my experience as an INS Special Agent, it was not uncommon to find that illegal aliens used multiple false identities to enable them to hide in plain sight as they gamed the system in every way imaginable and in ways you might not be able to imagine!  The fact that this woman could produce numerous false identities for numerous “children” she claimed to have given birth to and to game the system where people she knew or was related to is extremely disturbing.  Not only does this demonstrate that the system was unable to detect this massive fraud scheme for nearly ten years, but that this was done after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001!

Criminals and terrorists use false identities as a means of embedding themselves in our country in communities from coast to coast and border to border.  While certainly there is no mention and no apparent suspicion that the defendant in this case, Norma Coronel, had any involvement, whatsoever with terrorism, the point is that she was able to create, at will, numerous fictitious identities and not just for employment purposes but to game the federal tax system- the system you would imagine would be among the most effective and efficient at detecting fraud!

The soft underbelly of the United States can be found in the multiple bureaucracies at the federal, state and local levels.  Every day these agencies spend unknown billions of dollars providing benefits to people who are not entitled to those benefits and enabling malevolent individuals with ample opportunities to rob our government of hard-earned tax payer dollars.

The notorious bank robber Willy Sutton was once asked why he robbed banks.  His laconic answer, “That's where the money is!”

When Willy Sutton robbed a bank he ran the risk of getting shot.  When individuals rob tax payer money they run the risk of prosecution but it would appear that the odds are not with the house!  While the headline blared that Coronel faced a possible 143 years in prison, she was sentenced to just 18 months!

What is also interesting in the above noted case is that there was absolutely no mention as to how Ms Coronel entered the United States in the first place or how she was able to acquire a Social Security Number for herself if she was illegally present in our country.

I have often made the point- and it is indeed a point worth repeating, that you only get one opportunity to make a first impression.  For most aliens the first impression that they have of our country is created with how we enforce (or fail to enforce) our immigration laws and secure our borders.  We have the entire world convinced that if you run our borders and violate our immigration laws, you can not only expect to get away with it- you should expect to be rewarded for it!  This is the message that is delivered nearly daily by none other than the President of the United States, many members of Congress and a number of the present GOP candidates for the Presidency.  This is the message that is delivered by those governors and mayors who clearly state that they want to place illegal aliens on a pathway to United States citizenship.  This is the message that is delivered when political “leaders” call for implementing the DREAM Act.  This is the message when they declare their cities to be “Sanctuary Cities” and that they won't even notify ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) when illegal aliens are released from prison!

The City of Los Angeles enacted Rule 40 that prohibited police officers from notifying immigration authorities about illegal aliens and the State of California has made it clear that illegal aliens are welcome!  Clearly Norma Coronel accepted the invitation that was provided to illegal aliens by the City of Los Angeles and the State of California to “Come on down!”

My dad used to say that we teach people how they should treat us by demonstrating what we would accept.  Today our nation encourages illegal aliens to violate our borders and our laws and only a fool could be surprised at the consequences this may lead to.