Kristos Illegal Alien Show: Ivanov

Kristo Ivanov is a circus performer who helped more than 800 foreigners enter the United States illegally.^[1] Ivanov was sentenced to more than year in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Fawsett.^[2] He pleaded guilty last month to federal charges of inducing illegal aliens to enter the United States and making false statements in visa applications, the United States Attorney's Office said in a statement Wednesday.^[3]

Ivanov has worked since 1968 as an acrobat and circus performer for various companies, including Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Since 1995 he has been based in Orlando and had been performing an act with his family dubbed, "Kristos Alien Show." ^[4]

Ivanov, a Bulgarian native but now a U.S. citizen, confessed in a federal affidavit that he personally helped as many as 870 illegal immigrants enter or remain in the United States between 2001 and 2006.^[5] Ivanov received between $500 and $2,500 for prepared visa applications made through his circus booking agency, Magic Star Entertainment of Lake Mary.^[6] The applications stated that the immigrants were circus performers coming to work in Florida, however none of the illegal immigrants were hired by any of the circuses listed in the applications, instead they worked as carpenters, housekeepers and as unskilled labor.^[7]

As part of his plea agreement, Ivanov cooperated with the Department of Homeland Security's Citizenship and Immigration Services' fraud unit to identify all of the applications submitted through his scheme.^[8] Ivanov also agreed to forfeit to the United States about $800,000 he earned in smuggling fees.^[9] Ivanov was charged with fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents^[10] and bringing in and harboring certain aliens.^[11]

Fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents is covered under 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a) and states that whoever knowingly forges, counterfeits, alters, or falsely makes any immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, permit, border crossing card, alien registration receipt card, or other document prescribed by statute or regulation for entry into or as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States, or utters, uses, attempts to use, possesses, obtains, accepts, or receives any such visa, permit, border crossing card, alien registration receipt card, or other document prescribed by statute or regulation for entry into or as evidence of authorized stay or employment in the United States, knowing it to be forged, counterfeited, altered, or falsely made, or to have been procured by means of any false claim or statement, or to have been otherwise procured by fraud or unlawfully obtained

The crime of bringing in and harboring certain aliens is committed when, any person who encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law.^[12]

---

^[1] Jim Ellis, Acrobat Gets Prison for Alien Smuggling, Associated Press Newswire, Apr. 12, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id., see also Kristo’s website, http://www.magic-star.com/kristos.htm (last visited Apr. 12, 2007).
^[5] Ellis, supra note 1.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a) (2007).
^[11] 8 U.S.C. § 1324 (a)(1)(A)(iv) (2007).
^[12] Id.