On September 23, 2009, Ms. Maria Refugia Camarillo, a 72-year-old grandmother, was sentenced to serve 44 months in federal prison for operating a marriage fraud ring from 1980s until 2008.  Ms. Camarillo had been investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector [...]

A Taxing Consideration:  Choosing a Business Structure (Sole Proprietorship) When people are starting a business, they are often very confused and overwhelmed as to how to choose an entity, or even whether they need one.  Many entrepreneurs look at limiting their legal liability but never consider the tax implications of their business entity.  The only [...]

Permanent Residency in the U.S. is usually obtained through employer or family sponsorship.  However, for those who do not have employer or family sponsorship, the Diversity Visa Lottery Program (DV Program) provides another avenue to immigrate to the United States.  Approximately 50,000 diversity visas are available each year.  In order to qualify for the DV Program, [...]

Interbrand, an international branding consultant, has released its annual list of the top 100 most valuable brands. 

One of Durham’s treasures is the Museum of Life and Science.  Our friends from Canada spent considerable time last summer visiting southeastern US children’s museums that reciprocated with their local science museum.  They were by far the most impressed with our museum.

On September 8, 2009, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) rule mandating E-Verify use by certain federal contractors and subcontractors became effective. The E-Verify program, a partnership of the DHS and the Social Security Administration (SSA), is an internet-based system that allows employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of newly hired employees, regardless of [...]