SANTA ROSA COUNTY

SHERIFFS OFFICE

Sheriff Wendell Hall

Six Undocumented Workers Arrested on Fraud Charges in Milton

In the month of August, 2009 the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office received a complaint in regards to possible undocumented workers being employed at the construction site of a new private prison on Jeff Ates Road in Milton. Investigators from the Santa Rosa County Special Operations Division (A.I.M. Team) were assigned to investigate the report.While the operation was ongoing, a traffic stop was conducted on September 8th, 2009 near the area of the construction site. Special Operations Investigators made contact with four subjects who were determined not to have the proper paperwork and documentation to be in the United States .  These subjects had no valid identification and they made the statement that they were employed at the construction site on Jeff Ates Road as masons. The investigators on the scene of the traffic stop contacted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency by telephone and were advised to inform ICE of any arrests made with regards to this investigation. The traffic stop resulted in the arrests of two individuals in the vehicle; Abelino Oviedo-Salinas and Sergio Mata-Oviedo.  These subjects were transported to the Santa Rosa County Jail and I.C.E. was notified of the arrests.Members of Special Operations then responded to the construction site on Jeff Ates Road .  They contacted the job foreman and advised him of the situation and that we had previously stopped the previously mentioned subjects who had claimed to be laboring at the work site.  Due to the subjects not having the proper paperwork to be in the country, they could not be covered by workman's compensation or hold legal employment in the United States . Special Operations Investigators advised the foreman that they like to conduct a compliance check with the subcontractor to ensure that no one was laboring for him using false documentation or misleading information.The contractors and subcontractors were very cooperative with the efforts of the investigators.  The alleged undocumented workers were determined to be doing work contracted out by a subcontractor at the job site.  The subcontractor was contacted and cooperated with requests of the investigators.  The subcontractor stated that the subjects in question were contracted out by him through their company, Robles Masonry, which works out of Alabama .The subcontractor assisted investigators in locating six subjects on the job site. Investigators contacted them and subsequently determined that they had no identification.  Investigators also contacted Robles Masonry in Alabama and they transmitted the forms the workers had completed. Investigators then determined that these subjects had generated false identification information to fill out their tax forms.These six subjects were arrested under Florida Statutes for Fraud (Generating False Personal Identification Information). Their names are listed below.I.C.E. was notified of these arrests.  All subjects on both arrests were issued NO BOND stipulations pending their First Appearances because they had no local addresses, local ties or valid identification information. Subsequent to being booked into the jail, two of the subjects fingerprint checks showed prior arrests under different names in other jurisdictions of the United States .  Several of the subjects, including the driver from the traffic stop, have prior arrests for illegal entry into the United States by the Border Patrol.The task force will continue to operate as complaints are received. Sheriff Wendell Hall encourages the public to contact the Sheriff's Office with any complaints involving activity surrounding issues involving possible undocumented workers in Santa Rosa County .

Suspects:

Abelino Oviedo-Salinas, H/M, 18 years old, no known address

Sergio Mata-Oviedo, H/M, 25 years old, no known address

Margaro Elias, H/M, 48 years old, no known address

Jaime Condeles, H/M, 37 years old, no known address

Mariano Sanchez-Ramirez, H/M, 21 years old, no known address

Amado Landaverde-Vizcaya, H/M, 27 years old, no known address

Jaime Flores-Aguilar, H/M, 32 years old, no known address

Bernardo Mata, H/M, 25 years old, no known address

PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE AT www.santarosasheriff.org under Inmate and Warrant Search  

Press Release By:

Sgt. Scott Haines

Media Relations Unit

(850) 981-2136 or shaines@srso.net