By Belize Live News Staff: A San Pedro businessman has been charged with 14 counts of immigration offenses after allegedly employing 14 Honduran women without valid work permits at his bar.
Nelson Raynaldo Gomez, 38, a business owner from the Emerald area of San Pedro Town, appeared before the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday afternoon. Accompanied by his attorney, David McKoy, Gomez faced 14 counts of employing persons not in possession of an employment permit.
The charges stem from a March 15, 2025, operation conducted by police and immigration officials at VIP Bar in San Pedro, where the women were found working without the necessary legal authorization.
Gomez pleaded not guilty to all charges and was released after being summoned to court. His case was initially heard in Belize City due to the absence of a magistrate in San Pedro, but he has been ordered to return to the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court on May 14, 2025.
The 14 Honduran women were arraigned on March 17, 2025, in the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court and were charged with failing to produce a visitor’s permit upon request by an immigration officer. Each pleaded guilty and was fined $1,000 plus a $5 court cost.
As the women were unable to pay their fines, the Belize Immigration Department successfully applied for their deportation. They are currently being held at the Belize Central Prison, awaiting deportation to Honduras.
Gomez’s case is expected to bring further scrutiny to employment practices involving foreign workers in Belize’s entertainment industry.
