Wanted Man
Arrested in Costa Rica
Puerto Rican
salsa singer, Adalberto Arroyo Acevedo, wanted by
Interpol, fell into the hands of the Costa Rican
police yesterday.
The 30 year old suspect was detained at around 3pm
at his home in Lomas del Sol, Curridabat, in a
police raid that included members of the Dirección
de Inteligencia y Seguridad Nacional (DIS), la Policía
Internacional (Interpol) y el Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ).
The man is wanted in Los Angeles, California, for
supposed credit card fraud of more than US$2 Million
Dollars, defrauding about some 400 Hispanic families
whose children attended a music school founded by
Arroyo and Costa Rican Mario Yunis González,
It is alleged that the two men, Arroyo and Yunis,
offered scholarships to children at their school for
studying piano, accordion and violin. They would ask
parents for a credit card as a guarantee of deposit,
which they in turn would then use the information to
charge it to the limit.
According to L.A. police, the Costa Rican Yunis had
undergone a sex change operation that cost
US$100.000 Dollars and was charged to the several of
the credit cards.
Mario Yunis, who changed his identity to Marylin
Yunis was arrested in Los Angeles in November of
2001 and is currently serving prison time in that
city.
Arroyo fled to Canada and was traced to Mexico and
Colombia by the US justice and Interpol, and
entering Costa Rica in September 2002.
Canada Active in
Search for Two Wanted in Costa Rica
Canadian
authorities have responded to a Costa Rican request
for the search of Pablo Li and his wife, Anita Vemon,
who fled Costa Rica in the last days before being
arrested by police in Costa Rica for presumed
evasion to pay taxes of more than 4 Million Colones.
The Oriental pair and a Salvadoran man, according to reports, evaded the state treasury of
paying 5.100 Million Colones in taxes, and who are
reported to have given 27 Million Colones in
donations to the President Pacheco's campaign.
Li and Vemon left Costa Rica for Canada according to
immigration records.
Rogelio Ramos. Minister of Public Security, said
yesterday that the Canadian authorities have already
replied to their requests and once located will
sending a formal order for their capture and
extradition.
Ramos added that the Salvadoran is another matter,
as it will be difficult to have him extradited from
his country of origin.
A History Of Hispanic-American Heritage Month
Unlike most other ethnic heritage months,
the U.S. Hispanic American Heritage Month straddles the last half of September and the first half of October.
The reason for the unusual time period is its precursor -- Hispanic Heritage Week -- which was celebrated beginning in 1968. The week of Sept. 15 was chosen because several Latin American countries celebrate their independence day on Sept. 15, including
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. On Sept. 16, Mexico celebrates its independence and Chile's independence day is Sept. 18.
In 1998, the celebration was extended to a month. It now includes Día de la Raza (Columbus Day) on Oct. 12.
Every year in early September, the president issues a proclamation inviting Americans to celebrate the traditions, ancestry and achievements of Hispanic Americans.
Central America
Farm Trade Demands Unrealistic - US senators
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A pair of U.S. senators warned Central American countries Friday that they must lower their barriers to U.S. farm goods as part of a proposed free trade pact with the United States.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, and Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, raised the issue in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, the chief U.S. trade negotiator.
"We are concerned by signals from the Central American countries that fair and equitable access for U.S. agricultural products will not be achieved in ... the proposed U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)," the senators said.
Zoellick hopes to wrap up free trade talks with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and
Costa Rica by the end of the year. U.S. labor groups already plan to fight the agreement when it is submitted to Congress.
The Senate Finance Committee shares jurisdiction over trade legislation with the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee. Baucus is the top Democrat on the Finance panel and, like Grassley, comes from a major farm state.
The senators said the Central American countries were making "unrealistic demands" by clinging to tariffs and other market access barriers that block imports of U.S. beef, pork, corn, wheat, soybeans and other products.
"Without real market access benefits accruing to U.S. farmers and ranchers through the CAFTA, support for the proposed CAFTA will be subject to question," they said.
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