A Honduran consulate official in Atlanta has been accused of extortion for allegedly requesting $500 from a woman to expedite the deportation of the woman’s ailing mother, Mundo Hispanico has learned.
Iris Calderon, a Honduras woman, provided two cellphone recordings to the Department of Homeland Security that appear to show consulate agent Liliana Martinez soliciting a bribe, which has led to multiple investigations.
Calderon approached the consulate on behalf of her mother, Marlene Calderon, 55, who has been imprisoned at an Irwin County immigration facility following her arrest for an alleged shoplifting offense and suffers from diabetes, and sought her mother’s return to their Central American country.
In the recordings, Martinez allegedly told the daughter that a fee had to be paid to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official in charge of Honduran deportations “with whom she works and never has failed her.” The agent also told Iris Calderon that she would need reimbursement for the agent’s gasoline expenses to the prison.
Martinez, who still works for the consulate but has been reassigned, confirmed to Mundo Hispanico that it is her voice on the recordings, but said her comments were “misinterpreted.” She denied having made any deals with an ICE agent and attempting to extort money from Calderon, and said the situation was all a big misunderstanding.
“I was talking to her about the bond that immigration charges,” said Martinez, though adding that the consulate has not provided reimbursement for her own expenses or overtime.
At the same time, Martinez offered a public apology to Iris Calderon and said she feared repercussions from the investigation.
Spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez would not comment on an investigation now conducted by ICE, other than to say that it would be exhaustive, “because corruption is not tolerated in this agency.” Homeland Security, which would not comment, is investigating because of the implication that an ICE agent was involved.
Honduran consul Emelisa Callejas said she sent Calderon’s complaint to her country’s embassy in Washington and requested an audit. She was noncommittal about the accusation surrounding her consulate official.
“I put her [Martinez] in that position because I trusted her,” Callejas said. “To me she was a brilliant person. What happened to her? That’s what I can’t explain.”
Martinez has been accused of negotiating for $500 in blank money orders from Iris Calderon. She allegedly told the daughter that the money would have to be paid in advance because other Hondurans had not followed through on similar payments and she previously was forced to reimburse her ICE contact out of pocket.
“That’s why I don’t trust Hondurans,” Martinez said in the recording.
Martinez informed Iris Calderon that her mother could be detained for four to six months, whereas the funded arrangement would reduce the time to three or four weeks. However, according to ICE’s Gonzalez, no one can guarantee deportation dates.
Iris Calderon initially took her complaint to vice-consul Maria Fernanda Rivera, and said the Honduran official listened in on a phone conversation in which Martinez once again asked for $500, which Rivera confirmed. However, after no immediate action was taken, Calderon turned to U.S. officials and Mundo Hispanico, with the newspaper also receiving the phone recordings. Mundo Hispanico is a local Spanish language newspaper and reporting partner of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Callejas disclosed that her consulate had become aware of multiple complaints regarding procedure involving Honduran prisoners, and had taken steps to intervene in the process.
“We believe that it’s not the first time that something like this has happened, that there are three or four cases, and that’s why we put up signs outside of the consulate warning Hondurans which services they will pay for and where to go if they are charged extra,” Callejas said.
There appears to be a gray area in the consulate dealings. Martinez acknowledged she has received unsolicited tips on the job from grateful people regarding her actions, and Callejas said that sort of monetary exchange has her approval.
“If a person is that satisfied with the job someone has done and they want to give them 50 or 100 dollars, I don’t consider that to be illegal,” Callejas said. “As long as the official hasn’t insinuated or asked for it, they can receive it.”
Callejas expressed concern over fallout from the bribery claim, especially considering her political and personal ties.
“I fear that this is going to reach Honduras, since I’m the sister of ex-President [Rafael] Callejas, who a lot of people accuse of corruption, and they could associate me with that,” she said.
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