A former state lawmaker accused of buying an $8,000 sham marriage to gain citizenship was sentenced Friday to a year in prison by a judge who said pursuit of the American dream was a poor excuse for her actions.
U.S. District Judge Denise Cote ignored requests for leniency so that 47-year-old Gabriela Rosa, a native of the Dominican Republic, could care for her son and her mother.
The judge said she found "troubling" suggestions that Rosa was merely naive or was following the American dream when she falsely married a U.S. citizen and then lied about it to become a citizen in 2005.
Rosa's lawyer, Genesis A. Peduto, told the judge her client got married to obtain a green card 20 years ago when she was following the American dream and "looking for a better life."
"Are you suggesting that committing marriage fraud, which in this case meant paying $8,000 to another person and lying to immigration officials for years, is the American dream?" the judge asked.
"Not at all, your honor," Judge Peduto responded. "She is very remorseful for what she did and has accepted responsibility for what she has done."
The federal Probation Department recommended no prison sentence, but Cote disagreed, saying written submissions on Ms. Rosa's behalf included "very troubling suggestions" that the crime resulted in part because Rosa was following the American dream.
She said the suggestions were a "disservice to all our immigrants who actually try to follow the law and gain citizenship legitimately."
A round of applause for the judge.
10 comments:
Add her name to the NY Assembly Hall of Shame. We are going to need a bigger plaque.
Can her citizenship be revoked? Sounds like a reasonable punishment for the crime.
One down -- Millions to Go. I just love how she tried to justify what she did. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
If she came from the D.R. why didn't she just stop off at Puerto Rico and buy papers?
That is the usual procedure.
It was 20 years ago...
A year is steep
hopefully she gets deported after her year is up.
Hope she gets a tough roller derby girl as a cell mate!
Term limits!!!!!!!
Round of applause? It's a political hit job, not a statement of ethics. The judge is merely a party-oriented contract killer.
YES!!! Round of applause to the judge for recognizing the LAWS.
And to be very clear, I am the product of immigrants, whose parents followed the laws in order to immigrate and pursue the American Dream.
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