Merseyside millionaire faces deportation from America

Oct 12 2007

A MERSEYSIDE millionaire is facing being deported from the US, after he tried to smuggle his family into the country in his motor home.

David Hartley, 47, originally from Liverpool, pleaded guilty in a court in North Dakota to a misdemeanour charge of improper entry by aliens.

Since his arrest, the businessman has been seeking asylum in America, claiming that his life would be in danger if he returned to England.

His lawyer said there had been three assassination attempts in the past. Hartley, a property developer, was arrested in June at a border port north of Minot.

Authorities said his wife and two of his daughters were hiding under a slide-out bed in the motor home, and another daughter was discovered hiding in a sleeper sofa.

The case is to be transferred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which will decide whether Hartley is deported.

In court yesterday, Hartley was fined $5,000 (£2,500) and ordered to forfeit the motor home he tried to drive across the Canadian border into North Dakota.

A website for Wilcox Homes of Ocala, Florida, lists Hartley as president and CEO of the company.

A 2005 personal financial statement entered at an earlier hearing showed that Hartley had assets of $16m and a net worth of $15.5m.

His lawyer is reported to have tried to get the $1m bail bond reduced.

Authorities say in documents that Hartley has “multiple convictions” in Britain for theft and at least one drug conviction. But he did not mention his criminal record when applying for his business visa in 2000, and doubt surrounds whether he was in America legally.

The website for Mr Hartley’s company in America features an image of Liverpool’s Albert Dock.

It says that, as president and owner of Wilcox Homes, of Florida, Inc, Hartley “has over 25 years of experience in residential and commercial construction and development in his native England.”

It goes on: “David's experience and expertise is richly steeped in heritage and tradition. His great- grandfather, Jesse Hartley, was the chief dock engineer in Liverpool, England, from 1824 to his death in 1860.”

“During this period, Mr. Hartley designed and built the great fireproof warehouses of the era, most notably the famed Albert Dock which was launched in 1824 by Prince Albert and accommodated at the time the largest ships in the world.

“Today, at Wilcox Construction, David carries on this great legacy of superior craftsmanship and old-world quality in every home he builds.

“Elegant and distinctive designs, combined with functionality and versatility make his homes the first choice for the discriminating homeowner.”

No one was available to comment at Wilcox Homes last night.