banned in bride scam..yankees heartbreak

Yankees Prospects Caught In Visa Scandal!

Three young dominicans from the Yankees baseball academy in the Dominican Republic were caught in a marriage-for-visa scam.

As per the NY Daily News:

Three prospects, that have been cut by the Bombers, are among 10 minor league players the US Embassy in SD permanently barred from receiving work visas. Another 20 players are still under investigation.

US officials say the players were approached by aggresive "buscones" who offered them up to $ 5,400 to marry women they had never met.

US officials grew suspicious during the application process when they noticed an inordinate number of recently married ballplayers applying for the visa allotted to Major League Baseball.

"It's sad", an embassy official says. "But it means essentially that their chances for a career in baseball in the US are lost. It's sad, but unfortunately that's the consequence".

Truly, a real shame!.

Contra!!

paddy said:

todays new york daily news headline..may 29th
three major league prospects were banned from ever entering the us..20 more being investigated.offered $5,400 to marry women they never met..so that they could enter the us as a "spouse"..all were destined to play for the yankees. ''i was crying a lot.this is the only thing i know how to do,and then you lose the opportunity",a flame throwing right hander told the daily news.

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Crap, I just started a thread about the same thing.

Sorry I did not noticed that you had one.

It's a shame and I feel sorry for them all (but more for their families) becuase I know how those fricking "buscones" work. They should have known better though.

Interesting article...

Visa Abuse

Two years ago, the Canadian Baseball League formed in Canada. It was very poorly organized, and soon folded. The Calgary team had brought six Dominicans here to play on the team. All had a six-month work visa. When the team folded, they sent all the Dominicans back to the DR. One (I'll call him Santo), became very close to us and our kids. We told him that since he was still legally able to stay in Canada for another 4 months, he could find a job and live with us until his term was up. During that time, he could apply for permanent residency. Another Dominican in town owns a business and was willing to sponsor him. He didn't want to do anything that could compromise chances for playing again, and didn't want to burden us. He went back to the DR with the team, and we still keep in contact with him frequently.

This past year, as things have grown progressively worse in the DR, he, too, was approached by a buscone. He paid $100,000 RD for a buscone to arrange a visa for him. We advised him against it, but his other option, as he saw it, was to jump on a yola. What desperation there is in the DR...it breaks my heart. Anyways, the government found out about it, and he is never allowed to enter the US, either. He's a great pitcher, and all hopes playing in the big leagues are now gone.

What I'd like to know is if it would stop him from playing baseball in Canada again. I know he'd sure like to turn back time at this point...

Here's a link to the story:
New York Daily News

Here it goes!

paddy said:

miguel..i'm a one finger man on the keyboard..it would have taken me all day to type the story.lol but you're right it's a shame..tell me what a "buscones" means.

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"One finger man", lol. As long as it's the the middle one, lol. I have no problem typing since I have been working with computers for ages.

A 'buscon" is somone that would "speed things up for you". They are EVERYWHERE!.

You need a cedula fast, they would get it for you fast. Your passport expired and you do not want to wait 20 hours to renew it, they would do it for you within minutes. You need any type of documents, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates.... ect..., they would get them for you very quickly.

Basically, "buscones" are people who "know" the right people. They have "friends" working on the inside that can speed things up. They share the profits.

Example: Before I became a US citizen, on my first trip to the DR in 1983, I had to renew my passport. My friend took me to El Guacalito to have it done. The place was full of "buscones". There were people that had been waiting for over 4-7 hours and their numbers had not been called (I guess that they did not have the money to pay a "buscon"). We were approached by a different "buscon" about every 5 seconds. My friend told me what they did and immediately my friend "grabbed one". He mentioned that he would do everything that needed to be done but that I also needed to pay 3 other people that worked inside(the ones doing the job). We agreed and, I swear, I was done in no more than 25 minutes.

There are "buscones" all over the DR.

Care to guess what's another name for a "buscon"?. A PIMP. Just kidding but it sure makes sense, hehe.

This can be posted in the DR debates!!!!

Stupid fools.. they have an opportunity to better their lives.. much more so than the average Dominican and still choose to piss it away by making a quick buck... pffft

Guys this is WAYYYYYYYY OLD NEWS this was in like march and april..The three players were Willy Pie, Juan Delon and one other prospect, you guys really gotta get on the ball with this news..this was like a month and a half ago

MerengueDutchie said:

Stupid fools.. they have an opportunity to better their lives.. much more so than the average Dominican and still choose to piss it away by making a quick buck... pffft

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I wouldn't be so hard on them. These are uneducated kids whose only role models show them that you have to grab what you can today because tomorrow doesn't matter. How can you expect them not to take the money, they had no idea of the consequences. I blame MLB for not trying to protect their investment by educating these kids.

well said Rellosk

I couldn't agree with you more! MLB should educate them on this......it's just sad that this goes on.....

A buscon is an expediter/coyote.
mkohn

rellosk, thanks so much for a sound and sensible point. As I read along the posts I thought the very same thing. We who have many and varied opportunities don't seem to understand what some of these other folks are dealing with. The attractiveness of an immediate and guaranteed offer, though less, sometimes outweighs what could "potentially" be a far more profitable one. What is the saying; One bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. This appears to be the philosophical approach of the poor. It's too bad, and sad, that these guys lost out on what certainly could have been one hell of an opportunity. I think it's one hell of a lousy reason to deny them, however.