http://www.lisamcpherson.org/visas.htm

At the end of the article are transcripts where Artur Solomonyan discusses his relation to Scientology.

this Visa thing is nuts.

I remember when I first started working for the Church of Scientology in Clearwater, in late 1982, and I was a new Messenger in the Commodore's Messenger Organization there, I had to do "Port Captain" duties for a while. One of those duties was to make sure all the staff at CMO CW had their "legal rudiments" in, which meant, they were legal, had legal ID, Visa, etc. If I recall correctly here were about 7 people who were not in CMO CW legally at that time. They didn't have a proper Visa and I was supposed to get this fixed. I had to learn about how to apply for Visa's for them. It was complicated, because some of them had applied for other types of Visa's to get into the US, such as a B1 Visa which is visiting for business and does not apply to accepting employment in the US. I guess they came to Flag to be a student and got recruited and ended up staying, either that or they just got the wrong Visa to begin with, they were not visiting for business, they were coming over the join staff in the first place and had lied on the Visa application.

Another Visa some of them had was an L1, but for whatever reason, they had let it expire and so that complicated things. They had to leave the country for a while, and come back in. This was long ago, so I don't know why leaving the country and coming back in would make up for having let their temporary Visa expire.

Some of the staff I was trying to help with their Visa's seemed annoyed, they felt it was "DEV-T" (Developed Traffic, extra double work that is not necessary and decreases efficiency and peace) to be bothered with having to follow immigration laws.

Around the mid to late 80's after I had been promoted to the Int base, I found out that there were a number of men, who had been told by the Port Captain's Office Gold that the only way they could stay in the country legally was if they "married an American" and so I had guys who needed Visa's wanting to marry me. I mistakenly married one of them, not knowing that he had been told this. Later, after I helped him get his green card, he informed me that the only reason he wanted to get married in the first place was so that he could get laid and get his green card and that he didn't really love me. I thought this was just nuts. I mean, he was drunk when he said it at a New Year's Eve party, but it still hurt my feelings, a lot. I never had a chance to ask him if he ever meant it because we ended up getting separated after that, and I got handed some divorce papers later. He got his green card and I got my heart broken, not a very nice deal if you ask me.

There were a number of individuals around 1989, that had to get sent to other org's off the Int base because they did not have proper Visa's, and there was some crack down going on with regards to staff being legal or not at Int. It was like no one really thought this out or did anything about it, until the thumbscrews were put into place. It seems odd that an organization with so many international members, wouldn't have a hired a really good Immigration lawyer working for them full time to consult so that they could stay in compliance with the laws of the land.

Hubbard had advices and Flag Orders about Scn organizations following the laws of the land, but if it costed extra money.... it just would not get done, it would get overlooked until the last minute.

Now, recently, it seems they had a person trying to get a "religious worker" Visa for a job like making films! Give me a break, how is anyone going to let a filmaker stay in the country on a "religious worker's"visa? that's just ridiculous. Is it because they are a "religious organization" that they can't apply for regular work visas anymore? And their pay is so low that they can't justify applying on the basis of having gotten gotten a real job in the US? Because what real job would only pay $50.00 a week?

The C of S has backed themselves into a corner on this. It is clearly obvious that they are cutting corners on their legal advice budget. They have idiots advising them.

Oh... one other thing. I went to other country's numerous times to do video shooting for Scientology propaganda videos. England, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Venezuela, all the Carribean Islands, Mexico. I was told to say I was on "vacation", when I wasn't. I was working. It was ingrained in my head, at an early age, by other Church of Scientology staff, that it was completely OK to do things that were illegal and to lie to officials about it, because it was for the "greater good."

TwinA. I got kicked out of Canada for not having a proper work visa for a film we were doing. The producer, in order to save on entry and worker fee,s told us to say we all were on holiday. The customs and immigration official knew better. Guess it was the 15 cases of film gear we had with us.

I do know in our industry,you need proper permits and such to work in another country if you are not a legal citizen.

Oh, i got kicked out of the Vatican ( Sistine Chapel) because my papers were not in order for employ within the Vatican City.

I'm sure Co$ is quite vulnerable in this area if only the feds would take a look. I remember Maria Pia Gardini saying they held her passport so she couldn't leave the US when she was in the Sea Org. So much goes on it's amazing.

I found Maria Pia Gardini's statement...

http://www.xenutv.com/interviews/maria-5.htm

Maria Pia: Right. So, conference call…I couldn't say to Franco Badjo, "Say you don't have the money." Because Tito Matsa was there and he was understanding Italian. At that point, I was a bit afraid because they had my passport and I thought I'd never get out of there.

Stacy: What do you mean, they had your passport?

Maria Pia: They asked me for my passport because they said to give the passport to OSA to have the green card. I knew that I couldn't have the green card.

Stacy: To give it to OSA?

Maria Pia: Yeah. I went to OSA 20 times. Nobody was looking for my passport. "It's not here. It's in the other drawer."

Stacy: They wouldn't give it to you?

Maria Pia: At that point, I started to be afraid. I said, "They have my passport." Tito Matsa understands Italian. If I said to Franco Badjo, "Don't give the money," I will never get out of here. But I had the force to say, "Franco, if you want to, give them the money. But I am afraid I don't know how much taxes I have to pay." Okay, talk to communication, the Captain of Flag went-Debbie Cook-went out of the room. She was called for a phone call.

Stacy: I can imagine.

Maria Pia: And Dave Foster started to yell at me! I was becoming a couple of centimeters shorter every time he opened his mouth! He was yelling at me! And I was saying, "No, that's…

Stacy: What was he saying to you?
Maria Pia: "You are not a good Scientologist. You are a bitch! That's not the way to act in life. Your properties are Scientology properties. I said, "Why? My parents are working their whole life to make that property." "No, you have to give that. You don't want to help your country. You don't know how to help Italy. You are a bitch!" He told me that I was a bitch, like, ten times! At the end, I said, "No. I don't want to." He slapped me…

Stacy: He slapped you?

Maria Pia: Yeah, on the face. And that was the moment I went in terror. I said, "I will never get out alive from here!"

Stacy: I can't believe it!

Maria Pia: You know, there was already two deaths in that Fort Harrison. Two public that died and it wasn't well known if they really died or what. I thought, "Here, I don't go home. I will not ever see my granddaughter." Debbie Cooke came in again. She made it…purposely, she left me with David Foster alone.

Stacy: She did, didn't she?

Maria Pia: Yeah. I had tears in my eyes. I told to David Foster, "If you move one finger again, I will go to the police!" But I was afraid. I was shaking. Really, Stacy, I was shaking! So, they called Franco Badjo again, another conference call, I said, "But in one month…" He understood that I was in big problem. So, he said, "In one month, I need the money. You have to come to Italy and give me the money." I said, "Okay. Frank. We will meet you." And that was $200,000! So, it started to become very heavy, the cycle, you know? I had money sent to me from Italy every month from my bank-the income from the stores, the income. So, every week was $5,000. It was on and on and on. At a certain point…

Stacy: You mean, every week after that you were having to give them more money?

Maria Pia: Yeah. $5,000.

Stacy: So, they were calling you in every week?

Maria Pia: Yeah, every week.

Stacy: And saying you have to give more money.

Maria Pia: Every week! Every night! Twice a week. That was continuous. I had peace only when I was in my apartment. You know why? Because I took off the phone. I wasn't answering the doorbell. So, I said, "bye bye." I turned on the TV and that's it.

Stacy: Why weren't you trying to leave and go back to Italy?

Maria Pia: Without the passport?

Stacy: So, you couldn't get your passport back?

Maria Pia: I wouldn't get out from the company without the passport.

Stacy: But you had to arrange some reason for them to give you your passport back?

Maria Pia: Yeah. I was looking for a…so, I called Franco Badjo twice. I said, "Franco. You told me you need the money in one month. So, you must call your Registrar and say to send me to Italy because I cannot give you back your money if I don't come to Italy." They called me another time and that time was really terrible. They knew that the land had been sold and they knew that the land has been paid. And they knew I had the money in the bank in Italy.

Stacy: How could they know?

Maria Pia: A good Italian private investigator can know everything you want. So, at that point, I was called again. And I was told clearly, "You have the money in the bank. Now, you can transfer the money." I said, "How can I transfer the money without going down there and signing?" Another conference call was with the director of my bank.

Stacy: No!

Maria Pia: And in the room with us, there was Cozima.

Stacy: Cozima is an Italian woman at Flag. Is that right?

Maria Pia: Yes. She was at that time the Staff MA.

Stacy: She was an ethics officer at Flag?

Maria Pia: No, at that time, she was a public ethics officer. I don't remember who was there. I remember the Captain…

Stacy: Debbie Cooke.

Maria Pia: Debbie Cooke, I remember Dave Foster in the room. He went in and out. There were other people. I don't remember who. There was an Italian…that, I am sure. The director of the bank said, "Okay. Mrs. Gardini, if you send me a fax with a copy of your document," like, "a passport and sign it, I can send you the money." They wanted $500,000.

Stacy: The Scientologists did?

Maria Pia: Yeah, the Scientologists. I said, "I don't have any documents. I don't have any papers. My passport is at OSA." I said. In three seconds, the passport that was missing for weeks, in three seconds, the passport has feet and arrives from OSA to Flag! That was wonderful. (interviewer laughs) So, we made a photocopy of the passport.

* * * *

Bastards!

Too bad they arent big in Phoenix, I am sure that Sheriff Joe could easily be goaded into a raid for the illegal foreign workers.

Solomonyan was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domestic ... SN20090306

He left Scientology 1) 'cause the pay sucked and 2) they didn't manage to get him a visa like they offered.

Scientology will take just about ANYONE if they'll work for them for their peanuts.

QFT:


Good job, JJ, for keeping up with this story.