Since we reported on 46 year-old nationality documents fixer Marleny Castellanos last week, the Immigration Department has been flooded with persons coming forward to say they got their documents through her thinking they were legit.
Today, 7 of them were taken to court. They are Honduran Jenny Arita, Guatemalans Juana Lopez, Rudy Alexander Juarez, Mario Anibal Reymundo, Luis Flores, and Salvadorans Juan Emilio Lobos and Freddy Antonio Lobos were all arraigned before Magistrate Dale Cayetano for using documents they were not entitled to for fraudulent nationality certificates that Marleny Castellanos allegedly arranged for them.
All 7, except Juana Lopez, were also arraigned for another count of using documents they were not entitled to because Marleny Castellanos also assisted them in getting fake birth certificates.
They all pleaded guilty to their charges and were each fined $1,000 for each immigration offence that they were charged with, but the Immigration Department did not ask for them to be deported to their countries of origin.
That's because the Immigration Department is seeking to recruit them as prosecution witnesses against Marleny Castellanos.
As we said at the top, they show willingness to cooperate because they saw Marleny Castellanos's picture in the news and recognized her as the woman who helped them. So they basically turned themselves in to the Immigration Department. They're saying that Castellanos reportedly approached them to assist to get their immigration documents, but they didn't know that she was using illegal and fraudulent means to do so.
For their cooperation, the Immigration Department will be working with them to get regularize their immigration status in Belize.
For these illegal documents that Castellanos allegedly arranged, it is expected that she will be charged with 13 more immigration offences.
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