More Details On The Elvis Manuel Story

As the reality sinks in that Elvis Manuel has lost his life trying to get to Miami, attention is turning to who financed the ill-fated trip. According to a report in the Miami Herald,...

The U.S. Coast Guard repatriated Nodarse (Manuel's mother) and 11 others who were passengers on the suspected smuggling vessel, a 25-foot, twin-engine catamaran. On Saturday, the agency turned over the two Cuban men suspected of smuggling to U.S. Border Patrol in Marathon. The pair had been paroled into the United States within the past year but are not legal residents, Colón said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is investigating the suspected smuggling operation, but declined to comment on whether criminal charges would be filed with the U.S. attorney's office.

Who paid these smugglers is the big question. The Sun Sentital reports

Alejandro "DJ Jerry" Rodriguez Lopez,(Manuel's DJ) a 19-year-old performer who was among the 14 people who survived the journey, said that he, Elvis Manuel and another friend were assured millions of dollars if they left Cuba immediately.

Rodriguez, and Elvis Manuel's mother, Irioska Maria Nodarse, identified the producers as Eric Reyes, 32, and Lester Delgado, 23, of Millenium Records Entertainment Corp. in Miami.

Rodriguez said he and his friends were intrigued by fame and fortune.

"We were told we would be millionaires in two months," Rodriguez said. "They said we would be signed for about $25,000 each on arrival. I thought I would send my father $20,000 so he could build a palace in Cuba. That kind of money lasts forever here."

The two U.S. based producers who signed Elvis Manuel's to some kind of contract denied financing the smuggling operation, and claim they did unsuccessfully try to charter a plane to search for the singer after he was reported missing.

I wish that some reporting could be done by someone familiar with the music business in Miami, who could shed some light on Millenium Records Entertainment Corp (there is no web site). Who are these guys? what other records have they released? The fact that the music biz is full of shady characters doesn't mean that these two wern't entirely legit. Who can tell?

But it's a real shame that a young man had to lose his life this way.

Comments

[Michelle]

It's a shame that it ever happens. It's a shame for all the un-famous people who also die and no one ever writes a word about it. Didn't 3-4 other guys disappear from that same boat?

It always takes a celebrity before anyone cares.

[Sosa]

These men and women left the island in chase of the American Dream. Unfortunately, they were obviously hustled in to believing that some small so-called record company can give them so much money.

I watch this happen to all my people from the Caribbean. Promised big dreams and then left hanging.

This poor young guy and 4 others died because of someone else's BS.

Millenium Records Entertainment Corp needs to get dealt with, proper.

[sophie giraud]

Sounds like they-millenium- were also too cheap to get a boat in good condition for them. So many people travel by boat all the time why did this one have to capsize. It wasn't a home made raft . If they were financing and had millions in hand - Great comment about all the non famous people too. What about people from Haiti - Google : "Chrome" the detention centre in Miami to see how people are treated there. You could have raped thousands of children and have more rights than a refugee - Apparently now immigration authorities in the US are setting up fake telephone job interviews to keep people on the phone long enough to send authorities over to their homes to deport failed claimants .

[giann]

Elvis manuel's mother is the worst in this matter, forget Millenium, forget the boat, the mother never told the US Coast guard about his son lost in ocean, I cant not still believe this mother fucker women did this evil against his son she should be in jail, my son is 21 years old and when I don't see him around, I call him right away. I"ll die if I see him in the middle of the ocean I will jump even if I die to save him.