DIFFERENT ANGLE by Kenneth Rijock
Two prominent Brazilian evangelical leaders, who attempted to smuggle US$58,000 in cash into the US earlier this year, were sentenced to jail time & subsequent house arrest in Miami this week. Estevan Hernandez-Filho and his wife, Sonia Hernandez, who have been charged in Sao Paulo with money laundering and tax evasion, will begin serving their sentences in January, and have Detainers lodged against them for subsequent deportation. They are not US citizens, but have Permanent Residency status, which is generally revoked upon a felony conviction.
- Each was sentenced to five months imprisonment and five months home confinement (house arrest).
- The $ 56,637 seized at Miami International Airport is forfeited.
- Each must pay a US$30,000 fine.
- Deportation will follow completion of their sentences, unless they can prove they will be persecuted in their native country. This is doubtful, given the crimes pending there against them.
They are facing money laundering and income-tax evasion charges in Brazil, and the government prosecutor's office reports that there are approximately 110 civil lawsuits pending against them and their web of companies.
Compliance officers please note that the defendants have aliases, and titles related to their religious status, which can be found in their World-Check profiles, and that the names of the defendants' entities:
- Reborn in Christ Church
- Renascer a/k/a Igreja Renascer
- Rebirth Foundation a/k/a Fundacao Renascer
Research Note: United States vs. Hernandez-Filho, Case No.: 07-cr-20066-FAM (S.D. Fla.)
The facts and opinions stated in this article are those of the author and not those of World-Check. World-Check does not warrant the accuracy of any facts and opinions stated in this article, does not endorse them, and accepts no responsibility for them.
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