Criminal convictions of certain kinds can open the doors to deportation for foreign-born individuals. One criminal conviction making news recently could land the cousin of baseball player Alex Rodriguez back in his native Dominican Republic. The cousin was recently convicted of drug charges related to his cousin’s steroid scandal, which made the news even in Maryland, and the conviction could lead to his deportation.
The cousin, Yuri Sucart, was recently convicted of the charges against him and sentenced to seven months in prison. He was also sentenced to house arrest and ordered to pay a hefty fine. He pleaded guilty to federal drug charges. Sucart is 53 years old and is one of eight people who pleaded guilty in regards to the steroid scandal.
The cousin is touted as one of the most important individuals in the case. He reportedly was an assistant to his famous cousin and got paid for providing steroids to him and other athletes as part of an illegal steroid ring. He also reportedly demanded money from his cousin to keep quiet and was said to have not cooperated with the investigation that brought down the steroid operation. Aside from the criminal conviction and possible deportation, he is also banned from baseball facilities.
Deportation can upend the lives and livelihoods of all affected, including family members. Certain criminal convictions can make fighting possible deportation tough but not impossible. If someone is convicted and serves jail time in Maryland, the motion to move forward with deportation can come after that person serves the jail time ordered; however, such an order can always be fought, regardless of the circumstances.
Source: latino.foxnews.com, “A-Rod’s cousin linked to steroids probe sent to jail, faces deportation to the DR”, June 4, 2015