CERTV director arrested in fraudulent visa case

posted on: Apr 1 2010 14:44 by Royston. Viewed 359 times.


Police investigators on Wednesday arrested the director of Human Resources of the State Corporation Radio and Television (CERTV), Petronila Garcia.

She is accused of charging a fee to issue letters of employment to people who have no connection with her company in order to assist in their applications for US visas.

Police said Garcia was arrested  by officers assigned to the Fraud Investigation Department.

According to the reports, Ms. Garcia, as a high official of CERTV, gave a letter to Mr. Franklin Danerys Encarnaci�n, in which he was credited as production manager for state television.

With this document, Encarnaci�n applied to the U.S. Embassy in order to obtain a visa, but when asked by the consul he admitted he had received the letter through a woman known  only as July or Mary, who would be paid US$20,000 upon his arrival in the USA.

Under this same case, on 24 March, Yudelka Gonzalez was deported from the United States after it was discovered her visa had been fraudulently obtained with a letter similar to that used by Encarnaci�n.

She told investigators she paid the sum of RD$500,000 in exchange for her letter.