4/02/2006
Californians Sentenced for Poaching Immigrants Out of Season
Left: Riggoli and family hunting greasy immigrants last fall(Reno, NV) A California man with a string of hunting violations elsewhere in the West became the first person convicted of felony immigrant poaching in Nevada under a new, tougher state law aimed at reducing the number of illegal aliens hunted out of season.
Three others charged in the case pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and were fined, state immigration officials said.
Domenic Riggoli, 49, was given 90 days in the Lincoln County Jail last week on his felony guilty plea to taking an immigrant during a closed season, according to Rob Buonamici, chief warden with the Nevada Department of Immigration Control.
The Nevada Legislature three years ago passed a bill making the poaching of an illegal immigrant a felony under certain circumstances.
Left: Wait until May 1, or face penalties for bagging an immigrant"Before that, the most severe charge an immigrant poacher faced was a gross misdemeanor,” Buonemici said. "I hate them Mexicans as much as anyone else, but goddammit - it's gotta be in season."
Riggoli's legal problems are not confined to Nevada. Immigration officials in New Mexico said Riggoli owes more than $7,000 in fines for 14 immigrant hunting violations in that state.
“He will ultimately end up facing a license revocation action here,” said Marty Frenzel, public information chief for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. “It's too bad, though - Riggoli has bagged over 400 of those shifty bastards tying to sneak over and suck up our welfare benefits.”
Riggoli's hunting partners pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, authorities said.
Barry Charlting, 33, and David Riggoli, 53, both from Paso Robles, CA, and Michael Carrana, 67, of Templeton, CA, all pleaded guilty to hunting immigrants during a closed season.
"The law is the law," said Buonemici. "There's over 325 good days a year to bag yourself a tomato picker, and these greedy hunters just have to wait like the rest of us." Mary Winkler
# posted by Subcomandante Bob : 9:19 PM
