Dominicans fined for overstaying, fraud after Rio Hotel raid

Jul 19, 2016 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Six citizens of the Dominican Republic who were removed from the Rio Night Club/Inn were yesterday ordered to pay fines of $50,000 each after they pleaded guilty to overstaying their time in Guyana and forging work permits.

The women, Shakira Alcantara; Estefani Orozco; Elizabeth Rosario; Yaliana Parez; Yesenia Holguin and Seleyny Rodrigues, all of whom are over the age of 18, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court accompanied by their Attorney Mark Waldron.
Between February 22 and July 14, the women overstayed their time in Guyana. They also conspired with a person or persons unknown to forge an extension of stay in their Dominican Republic passports, purporting to show that same was issued by the Central Immigration and Passport Office.
The foreigners spoke to the court by aid of a Spanish interpreter facilitated by the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
Attorney Waldron explained that his clients’ family had already booked flights for their loved ones to return home today. He said that the women paid a gentleman at the aforementioned hotel US$300 for the stamps in their passports which they thought were valid. Waldron begged for leniency and told the court that his clients had been in police custody since last Thursday.
Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the women came to Guyana on different dates via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Timehri, East Bank Demerara. He said that they were each granted different stay periods.
According to Jones the women were staying at the Inn located at Forshaw Street, Queenstown, Georgetown.
The Rio Night Club/Inn offers erotic services to its customers.
Jones said that on July 14, the police in collaboration with the Trafficking In Person (TIP) Unit of Ministry of Social Protection raided the hotel and discovered that the women were illegally in the country. He said that checks were made on their passports and it was discovered that they had fake work permits.
The Prosecutor said that the women were escorted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters where they were cautioned and charged.
It was reported that the women were held at the Rio Night Club where they reportedly worked as strippers and provided other erotic services to clients in exchange for cash.
They were each fined $20,000 on the first charge with an alternative of four weeks’ imprisonment. On the second charge, they were each fined $30,000 with an alternative of eight weeks’ imprisonment.
The prison terms are to run concurrently.

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