Sentencing has been delayed once again for admitted scammer Raquel Martinez after verification was received that she's being treated for cancer in Tijuana, Mexico.
The latest delay is documented in an "order of continuance" signed Dec. 10 by 5th District Court Judge Robert J. Elgee. The order continues sentencing until March 10, 2008.
Sentencing for Martinez has been somewhat of an ordeal with repeated continuances. The latest continuances were granted on Nov. 5, Nov. 19 and Dec. 10.
Martinez pleaded guilty last March to a single count of forgery in exchange for dismissal of three felony counts of grand theft and four misdemeanor charges of petit theft. She was accused of scamming seven local Hispanic workers out of more than $8,000 by falsely claiming to be a federal immigration employee who could help the workers obtain legal status in the United States.
Though Martinez did not plead guilty to any of the seven theft charges, she agreed to repay the money to the workers as part of a plea agreement with the Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Court records state that she has repaid about half the money to date.
As part of the plea agreement, the prosecutor's office is to recommend that Martinez be placed on three years supervised probation and be sentenced to 240 hours of community service.
Earlier delays were granted because Martinez had yet to repay the balance of the money. The three latest delays came about when defense attorney Dan Dolan reported that his client was unable to appear because she was being treated for cancer in Tijuana.
Elgee is now apparently satisfied that such is the case and granted Dolan's latest motion for continuance in a closed hearing held in the judge's chambers.
The judge's order for continuance states that the court has received verification of the defendant's illness from Tijuana doctor Miguel Angel Ramirez Tinoco. It states that Tinoco's statement "provides that he is treating the defendant for cancer and that the treatment needs to continue for three months."
Elgee's order states that the court "will not entertain any additional motions for continuance."
Raquel Martinez
