Archive for December 9th, 2008
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
WASHINGTON, Dec 08, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — A room manager of a telemarketing call center operating out of Costa Rica was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for his participation in a massive, Costa Rica-based, telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted thousands of U.S. residents, resulting in victim losses of more than $10 million, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced today.
Juan Luis Llamas, 33, of Yuba City, Calif., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney of the Western District of North Carolina. Judge Whitney also ordered Llamas to pay restitution of $4.2 million jointly and severally with co-conspirators. (more…)
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
Tourists flying into Costa Rica will soon have to pay a new $15 tax.
The new tax replaces a 3 percent tax on hotel rooms. It was approved Nov. 20 and is expected to take effect later this year.
The new tax should generate $25 million a year to help the government’s Costa Rica Tourism Institute encourage more visitors to try the Central American nation.
The 3 percent hotel tax only generated about $10 million a year and was hard to enforce.
Tourism is a $2 billion a year industry in Costa Rica. Each year, nearly 2 million people visit the country known for its eco-tourism.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
African migrants let out of detention in Malta have left the country and have ended up as far away as South America in an attempt to illegally gain entry to the United States, an investigation carried out by the Costa Rican immigration police has revealed.
Costa Rican authorities have uncovered what they say is a network trafficking African migrants from Europe to the United States, using Latin America as a bridge.
As a result of the investigation, the Costa Rican authorities this year deported 25 Eritreans, four of whom were apprehended just two weeks ago while posing as tourists near the Costa Rican-Nicaraguan border. (more…)
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
Thousands Of Foreign Prostitutes Work in Costa Rica
Many got papers by being married to local men, but didn’t even know their husband’s names.
SAN JOSE — Some 4,000 foreign prostitutes are employed at nightclubs in Costa Rica, with many of the women marrying Costa Ricans to obtain their residency, the press reported Sunday.
The majority of the women come from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Nicaragua, while a smaller number are from Panama, Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador, the La Nacion newspaper reported, citing immigration service figures.
Women from more distant countries, such as Romania and Russia, have also been identified at clubs in Costa Rica’s tourist areas.
The foreign prostitutes, according to police reports, range in age from 20 to 35.
The immigration service’s director, Francisco Castaing, told La Nacion that several operations have been carried out in recent weeks targeting the nightclubs. (more…)
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
The telethon launched Friday and ended yesterday morning, and before all donations were counted funds had already reached 477 million colones, equal to more than $870,000.
The event had a little help from pop singers, including Spain’s Chenoa, Venezuela’s José Luis Rodríguez El Puma, Mexico’s Nikki Clan and Colombia’s Alicastro.
The money will finance new medical equipment for the hospital’s burn treatment unit.
Cristal Pérez, 11, was this year’s telethon poster child, having suffered second- and third-degree burns on her face, arms and legs in an accident that occurred at a school science fair.
Posted in Costa Rica News | No Comments »
