Two Ukrainians, U.S. citizen face federal immigration charges August 14th, 2014 under Top Stories (Brewster County Sheriff’s Office photo) Three Ukrainian men who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally are currently detained in the Brewster County Jail. The men, from left, are Igor Yaroslavovuch Kotsiuba, Oleksii Storozhuk, and Vadim Ivanovich Odnorozhenko. (Brewster County Sheriff’s Office photo) Three Ukrainian men who allegedly entered the U.S. illegally are currently detained in the Brewster County Jail. The men, from left, are Igor Yaroslavovuch Kotsiuba, Oleksii Storozhuk, and Vadim Ivanovich Odnorozhenko. By ALBERTO TOMAS HALPERN BREWSTER COUNTY – Two of three Ukrainian nationals apprehended in Brewster County in mid-June are facing federal immigration charges for illegally entering the United States, while a U.S. citizen faces charges for bringing in and harboring them. A third Ukrainian national who was apprehended had charges dismissed but is still being held as a witness in the cases. According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, the Ukrainians, Vadim Ivanovich Odnorozhenko, Igor Yaroslavovuch Kotsiuba, and Oleksii Storozhuk were apprehended by Brewster County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Homeland Security Investigations officers on a ranch near Alpine. “The information received indicated that the individuals were walking from Mexico en route to Alpine,” the criminal complaint states. The complaint notes that the men entered the United States from Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, Mexico, near Lajitas, Texas. According to the complaint, both Odnorozhenko and Kotsiuba have previously been deported from the United States in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The complaint states that Odnorozhenko is an aggravated felon, having been previously convicted on kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon and assault charges. Kotsiuba, the complaint says, was also previously convicted on narcotics distribution, assault, and burglary charges. Odnorozhenko and Kotsiuba are currently facing “reentry of deported aliens” charges and have entered not guilty pleas. They were denied bond and are currently detained in the Brewster County Jail. Assistant United States Attorney Jay Miller in Alpine, who is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the U.S. government, told The Big Bend Sentinel and Presidio International that the third man, Storozhuk, won’t face criminal charges because he has no criminal or immigration history in the U.S. other than his most-recent crossing. “He’s set for deportation,” Miller said, adding that, “he is being held as a material witness and he is detained as well.” Storozhuk is also confined in the Brewster County Jail. Jack Meredith, a federal public defender representing both Odnorozhenko and Kotsiuba, said the guilty pleas the men entered were part of a formality in the discovery process and that their pleas could potentially change. Meredith said there are “issues” concerning the complaints’ statements that his clients were previously deported and previously convicted of crimes in the U.S. He added that his clients came to the U.S. fleeing recent violence and volatility in Ukraine. “They were arrested and beaten,” Meredith said of his clients’ conditions back home. “They have family (in the U.S.) and felt like they didn’t have any choice.” Ukraine has become increasingly unstable over the past few months after pro-European Union demonstrators pressured the Ukrainian government into strengthening ties with the EU instead of Russia. Pro-Russian militias subsequently protested, violently in some cases, and Russian annexed the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea. A Malaysian Airlines jetliner was recently shot down over Ukrainian territory amid the growing upheaval in the region. “They were just trying to get to the U.S. for economic and safety reasons,” Meredith said of his clients. They were both indicted by a federal grand jury and await further court hearings. A fourth individual, Igor Davidyuk, a U.S. citizen from Washington state, faces federal charges for his alleged role in smuggling and harboring the three Ukrainian men. According to the criminal complaint against Davidyuk, Odnorozhenko and Kotsiuba posed as lost tourists at a Brewster County rancher’s home and asked to use a phone before leaving. The rancher notified the sheriff’s office and upon arrival at the house, deputies identified two phone numbers the men had dialed. A law enforcement database search identified one of the numbers as belonging to Davidyuk. Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson called Davidyuk’s number and posed as a rancher during that call. “Sheriff Dodson spoke to a male subject who identified himself as ‘Igor,’” the complaint states. During the call, Davidyuk told Dodson he was in Alpine. Dodson did not return a phone call seeking comment. Authorities contacted the Best Western hotel in Alpine where it was revealed that Davidyuk had rented a room. During an interview with authorities, Storozhuk explained that the men had traveled together from Kiev to Mexico, then made their way to Lajitas where they spent a night. “Storozhuk said that ‘Igor’, who was a friend to Kotsiuba and Odnorozhenko, met them in Lajitas and rented a hotel room for them,” the complaint states. A Lajitas Resort manager told investigators that a white male driving a black Mercedes rented a room. “Hotel records indicate that Igor Davidyuk rented a hotel room at the Lajitas Resort using Expedia,” the complaint continues. The complaint goes on to say that Davidyuk drove the three men near the Border Patrol checkpoint near Alpine and dropped them off “to avoid detection.” Davidyuk was then to pick up the men again in Alpine. “Video footage from the Alpine, TX Border Patrol checkpoint shows an individual appearing to be Davidyuk driving through on June 14, 2014 in a black Mercedes,” the complaint says. Davidyuk was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of smuggling and harboring the men. He entered a not guilty plea. “He was arrested in Seattle and he has met bond conditions,” Miller, the U.S. attorney, said. “He’s currently out on bond.” According to court documents, Davidyuk is represented by El Paso attorney Mary Stillinger. Stillinger did not return a phone call seeking comment.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 23:29:25 +0000
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