Second man sentenced to time served in BP raid case
BY DAN HINKEL
dhinkel@nwitimes.com
219.852.4317 Monday, February 23, 2009
HAMMOND Another man jailed after the BP Whiting refinery immigration raid in December has been sentenced to time already served and turned over to civil immigration authorities.
Mexican citizen Roman Torrano-Ramirez, 49, admitted Monday in Hammond federal court he overstayed a six-month visa granted for a visit in 1993. As part of a plea agreement, he pleaded guilty to eluding inspection by immigration officers. The U.S. attorney's office dismissed a charge of using a false Social Security number. Torrano-Ramirez has agreed to cooperate with federal investigations.
Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich sentenced Torrano-Ramirez to time already served since being jailed in the Dec. 10 raid. Rodovich ordered Torrano-Ramirez transferred into the custody of civil immigration authorities. Torrano-Ramirez will face immigration hearings that could lead to his deportation.
Torrano-Ramirez was arrested in an immigration raid that netted 14 other people. The immigrants were contractors for a janitorial firm, not BP employees.
http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/23/updates/breaking_news/doc49a2ee38c9354669073621.txt
