Mexican Consul In Chicago Violated Law, Major Latino Community Protest Set For Friday

Consul didn't meet with protesters on August 3, as required by Mexican law, according to protest organizers

By H. Nelson Goodson
August 10, 2010

Chicago, IL - On Friday, a group of Hispanic community protesters will again march and protest in front of the Mexican Consulate in Chicago, according to a press release by Yvette Anna Soto one of the key organizers. Soto says, the protest will begin a 10:30 a.m. on Friday at the Mexican Consulate, 204 S. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Organizers will continue to protest until the Mexican Civic Society (MCS) is allowed to participate as Co-presenters of El Grito as Consul Manuel Rodríguez Arriaga had promised before last June.
The protest organizers alleged that Consul Arriaga failed to meet with them or even come out of the Consulate on August 3 and ask protesters why they were there protesting as required by Mexican law. Arriaga did sent out a representative, but the Consul is required to do it himself.
Instead Arriaga called Chicago police to remove the protesters, but police were unable too, as they were exercising their rights and in a peaceful manner.
For the last three years the Mexican Consul had been reaching out to non-profits, museums, cultural arts institutes, universities and other entities, but failed to include a large portion of the Mexican community including MCS. MCS organizers say that they were part of the Bicenntennial Mexico's Independence celebration and Arriaga had included them, until early 2009 when they discovered Arriaga had excluded them from participating.
This year they were apparently left out of the Comite Fiesta Patrias (CFP - Holiday Festive Committee) planning and steering committee for the Bicentennial celebration. The CFP committee was created in 2004 by the Mexican Consulate and today is controlled by Consul Arriaga.
In June, the MCS held a press conference to announced their decision to cancel the Mexican Independence Day parade in September.
Last week, Evelia Rodríguez, Media and Public Relations of the Mexican Civic Society says, the MCS annual cost to hold both the parade and El Grito is about $138,000. The elaborate and elegant Azteca banquet to select the MCS queen was also canceled.
Since, Consul Arriaga has taken away El Grito from us and decided to exclude us from the bicentennial celebration, we can't offer sponsorship for both the annual parade and El Grito to corporations and local businesses, according to Rodríguez.
Scholarships to help students finance part of their college costs provided from the MCS fundraising events will be effected as well.
The parade is usually done on a Saturday, a week before September 16, and El Grito is done after September 15 at midnight on September 16.
In 2008, 21 community organizations representing the Mexican community sent a letter to President Felipe Calderón complaining about Consul Arriaga, who took office in April 2007.
The complaint alleged Arriaga was arrogant, disputes, disrespected people, and ignored the needs of the Mexican community in Chicago. Arriaga lacked to understand his responsibilities that come with the job. They even wrote Calderón that Arriaga verbally attacks and offends leaders of the Mexican community based organizations looking to divide the community, reported El Diario Hoy from the Chicago Tribune.
Numerous members of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) even supported the allegations made by the 21 community organizations. IME members alleged Arriaga was not fullfilling his duties by working with the community and had neglected to attend community events in Wisconsin when invited.
Arriaga supposedly represents the Mexican government in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. Arriaga failed to comment or respond to the allegations made by the organizations in 2008.
Arriaga or President Calderón and the Mexican government has yet to comment concerning the current bicentennial community celebration crisis that Arriaga is accused of dividing the Mexican community he was hired to serve as a whole.
The Mexican Consulate in Chicago has had a history of controversy under the direction of Consul Arriaga, who won't comment on current allegations raised by the Mexican community from Illinois and Wisconsin.

In brief:

In Wisconsin, complaints have been raised by Mexican citizens that members of the Mexican Consul in Chicago who visit cities in the state apparently express the same arrogant and disrespectful attitude as Consul Arriaga towards Mexican citizens seeking the Matricula and other services. The Consul and his staff are public servants hired or appointed to provide government services to its Mexican citizens, who in return pay for those services.
In both Wisconsin and Chicago, the Mexican Consulate failed for months to notify Mexican citizens residing in the tri-state area that a business operating out of Chicago "Legalización de Autos El Mexicano" was selling false legalization documents ranging in prices between $3,000 to $7,000, which included registration of vehicle and Mexican license plates to import vehicles into Mexico. Once people reached the border or made it into Mexico, Mexican authorities discovered the documents were false and detained the document holders and confiscated vehicles.
In May, the Consulate finally issued a press release warning people these types of businesses operating in the U.S. were illegal. The Consulate indicated they had been working along with the Illinois Attorney General's Office investigation, but despite knowning since December of 2009 of the fraud, Consul Arriaga and his staff allowed Mexican citizens to continue to purchase false documents.
In April, the Illinois Attorney General Office filed a lawsuit to keep Legalización de Auto El Mexicano from operating for scamming at least 50 people of more then $79,000, not counting Waukegan and the Wisconsin operation, but by then the business had closed at 3121 W. 26th St. in Chicago, 913 Grand Ave. in Waukegan and 1239 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Legalización de Autos business chain ended up closing due to exposure of its alleged illegal activities by Hispanic News Network U.S.A., who in December 2009 first broke the story and kept thousands of Mexican citizens from being scammed. 
In 2008, Global Search de México, S.A. de C.V. which operated Licencias Mexicanas (Mexican Licenses) in California was in Wisconsin and Chicago selling these type of illegal licenses. The fraudulant licenses were sold from the states of Veracruz, Aguascalientes, Hildago and Oaxaca for a price between $160.00 and $180.00.
Once again, the Mexican Consulate in Chicago failed to notify its Mexican citizens of the scam, eventhough they had received numerous complaints from Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Consul Arriaga and his staff were forced to finally release a statement warning people of the scam. But by then, Licencias Mexicanas had scammed people in the U.S. for more than $6 million dollars and no one was ever prosecuted or convicted in the U.S. or in Mexico.
Licencias Mexicanas Internet information on their prior web page stated a combine of more than 40,000 licenses from the previously mentioned Mexican states have been sold in the United States of America averaging a gross total of more than 6 million dollars in taxable earnings so far, since it was established.
The Mexican licenses had been sold in the following states Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Mexico Nevada, New Jersey, and Texas.

Related article:

Mexican Consul Calls Chicago Police To Disperse Latinos Protesting Arriaga's Decision To Oust Mexican Civic Society http://bit.ly/9FAPy9

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Milwaukee Police Confiscate Legalización Mexicano Files With Search Warrant

Police took files, documents, and Mexican license plates from Legalización Mexicano

By H. Nelson Goodson
January 14, 2010

Milwaukee -On Tuesday, Milwaukee Police investigators from the 2nd District Police Department in Milwaukee's South side walked into Legalización Mexicano, 1239 S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr. and took numerous files, documents and Mexican license plates under a search warrant. Investigators launched a probe investigation into what could be one of the largest fraud operations conducted by a business chain in Wisconsin, Illinois and Mexico dealing in document legalizing of vehicles to be imported into Mexico.
On Monday, several victims came forward to expose an alleged fraud scheme by Legalización Mexicano, which defrauded them of thousands of dollars. The legalized documents for their trucks and vehicles they paid for to import permanently into Mexico turned out bogus. Legalización Mexicano charged between $1,500 to $3,000 and even more for documents and Mexican license plates.
Numerous clients became victims once they reached the Laredo, Texas and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico International border crossing when they discovered through Mexican Customs that their documents and Mexican license plates were false. Some of the Legalización Mexicano victims had to pay again at the border town legalization agencies to legalize their vehicles in order to import them into Mexico.
The Mexican Consulate in Chicago has not released any type of press release or warning to its citizens in the U.S. or in Mexico about the dubious practices of such businesses dealing in fraud. Mexican nationals in the U.S. have become easy pray for scams and fraud. The Mexican government has yet to enact laws to prosecute and punish those who engage in falsifying Mexican driver licenses, Id's, and now Mexican legalization documents and license plates for vehicles to be imported into Mexico. The Mexican Consulate in Chicago lacks a fraud investigative unit, according to victims.                                                 
Since the story first broke in December concerning Legalización Mexicano and its business chain owner Agustin Acosta-Valdez dubious business practices, numerous victims of the alleged fraud scheme have come forward in Milwaukee, Chicago and Mexico.

Chicago's Legalizaciones Mexicano at 3121 W. 26 St. closed signed on door said "Oficinas cerradas, no hay información a donde se movieron" Offices closed, no information where they moved. Offices were located in La Villita business sector.

Legalización Mexicano employees in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in Waukegan and Chicago, Illinios have been abandoning the business chain. The business chain main Mex-Tel Corporate office located at 3121 W. 26 Street, Suite 2R in Chicago has been shut down. The owner of the building in La Villita Business District when contacted says Legalización Mexicano owes at least two months rent. Business phone lines in Waukegan and Chicago have been temporarily disconnected or voice mail boxes have been full to capacity.

Related article Internet link of Legalización Mexicano alleged fraud and investigation: Milwaukee police initiate investigation into bogus documents and Mexican license plates used for importing vehicles into Mexico http://bit.ly/6AwXZ9

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Chicago Police Investigate Legalización Mexicano de Autos, Business Chain In Legalizing Vehicles For Export To Mexico

Chicago Police cited an employee of Legalización Mexicano de Autos for not producing a commercial license to operate business, and the owner believed to be in Mexico

By H. Nelson Goodson
December 18, 2009

Milwaukee - A multi-business in Illinois and Wisconsin operating a vehicle legalization known in the South side of Milwaukee as Legalización Mexicano de Autos (Auto Imports To Mexico Legalized) 1239 S. Cesar E. Chavez Dr. is no longer accepting requests for auto legalized documents to temporarily travel or import vehicles to Mexico. Currently, three businesses are located in Chicago, one in Waukegan, and another in Milwaukee, which are affiliated to the parent company Mex-Tel Inc.
On Wednesday, Chicago local investigators cited an employee of Legalización Mexicano a total of $3,000 for not providing a business license to operate at 3121 W. 26th St., and was ordered to appear in court at a later date. The owner Agustin Acosta-Valdez, a Chicago resident could not be located by police, and is believed to be in Mexico, according to sources in Chicago.
By Wednesday afternoon, the Legalización Mexicano de Autos in Milwaukee, and Waukegan, IL located at 913 Grand Ave. began to limit their operation to just delivering vehicle legalized documents to customers. In Chicago, the business located at 3121 W. 26th St., 2nd Floor was closed as a result of an investigation by Chicago police. The two other businesses in Chicago continued to operate, however an undated postcard flyer indicated Acosta-Valdez was operating 10 business locations.
The Acosta-Valdez company specializes in temporary legalized travel vehicle permits into Mexico from nine months to a year and with option to renew on a yearly basis, until year to permanently import vehicle arrives. Legalización Mexicano can provide legalization permits to vehicles already in Mexico and could use up to two different names if desired by the clients. The Legalización Mexicano website assures their practices in issuing permits is legal and has legalized at least 10,000 vehicles.
Customer complaints to Legalización Mexicano employees date back at least five months. The permit holders alleged the import documents provided to them by Legalización Mexicano were fraudulent.
Numerous inquiries to Mexican border authorities alerted local and federal authorities concerning Mexican nationals traveling to Mexico with bogus documents and permits legalizing their vehicles for export to Mexico.
Under U.S. and Mexico agreement, vehicles dating 10 years old from the U.S. would only be allowed to be registered permanently in Mexico. Before October 31, only 1999 year model of vehicles could be legalized to be imported to Mexico, and after that date only 2000 year model autos could be legalized for import into Mexico, according to Mexican government officials.
Once across the border, Legalización Mexicano clients who paid between $800 to $1,500 or more for the permits, and plates from the businesses in Chicago, Waukegan, and Milwaukee discovered they were bogus. A Chicago employee who didn't want to be identified said that it's unfortunate and felt sorry that there was no recourse to compensate clients. Some family members of the victims alleged Mexican authorities confiscated their vehicles and arrested people trying to cross autos when the vehicles VIN numbers didn't match the VIN in the documents. The documents weren't even legally registered with the Mexican government.
In most of these cases, family members traveling with what they thought were legal documents were left out in the cold. Those arrested face hefty fines and jail time in Mexico.
The alleged fraud scheme by Legalización Mexicano, according to customers whose vehicles were confiscated in Mexico triggered a five month investigation into the practices conducted by the Midwest Acosta-Valdez businesses in Waukegan, Chicago and Milwaukee.

Advertising for Legalización Mexicano de Autos has promoted that they can legalize any kind of vehicle between year models 1993 to 2009 and no documents required and everyone qualifies. Most clients using Legalización Mexicano de Autos are believed to be undocumented immigrants, which makes them easy targets for alleged scams or document fraud. Undocumented immigrants usually choose not to report these type of scams to authorities.
A majority of clients using Legalización Mexicano have a success rate to import their vehicles into Mexico, but some clients have had their vehicles confiscated in Mexico for document fraud. Legalización Mexicano is connected to Mexican officials from the following three states, Mexico, Morelos, and Michoacan who send legalized documents, and license plates from Mexico to Acosta-Valdez' businesses.
The investigative report revealed, when a person was returning to Mexico and is originally from the State of Guanajuato (state used as an example) he/she would get legalized documents and registered Mexican license plates indicating the vehicle was of Mexican origin from either of the previously three mentioned states. Once in the interior of Mexico, they could transfer the registration to their home State of Guanajuato.  
When contacted on Thursday, the business phone in Waukegan was temporarily disconnected, in Chicago the voice massage box was full in one line and the other phone line was temporarily disconnected, and in Milwaukee a voice message was still recommending callers to stop by, but the chain business operation and its future seem uncertain on Wednesday. 

Chicago's Legalizaciones Mexicano at 3121 W. 26 St. closed signed on door said "Oficinas cerradas, no hay información a donde se movieron" Offices closed, no information where they moved. Offices were located in La Villita business sector.

As of Friday, the Legalización Mexicano de Autos websites www.mex-tel.com/home, 'Mexicano Si Se Puede' and www.legalizacionesmexicano.com, 'Mexicano Si Se Puede' were still online and says it has been in business for ten years.
For years, legalization companies have setup business in predominately Latino communities in the U.S. offering and selling documents to temporarily travel or permanently import vehicles into Mexico. Some local Latino businesses do offer the service, it is convenient for people to buy the documents locally instead of going to the Chicago Mexican Consulate and are legitimate. But to safe guard from bogus vehicle legalization documents, people should travel to the Chicago Mexican Consulate to get legalized vehicle temporary travel permits or import documents processed to avoid any problems while crossing the border. People can use bordertown vehicle legalization businesses and if any problems arise they can resolve most problems in the border compared to a business located in the midwest.
On Friday, attempts to contact Acosta-Valdez were unsuccessful, his personal cell phone voice mail box was full. The answering massage said, Legalización Mexicano de Autos was a professional business and specialized in legalization of vehicles from 1993 to 2009 to be imported into Mexico. Acosta-Valdez has not been seen for about one month in his businesses.
Previously, Acosta-Valdez had launched an ad blitz campaign targeting customers by advertising in local Spanish newspapers, radio, and magazines that Legalización Mexicano was buying autos, and heavy construction equipment with or without titles. People could buy vehicles in Milwaukee and they would be delivered in Mexico, no documents required, and everyone qualified, according to the ads.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Chicago, IL was contacted on Friday for information concerning Acosta-Valdez and his business practices. The federal public information officer with the U.S. Attorney's office could not confirm, if Acosta-Valdez has a pending investigation or a federal indictment and charges are expected.

  
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