Remember that time when Manassas Mayor Hal Parrish and Marty Nohe performed with the Manassas Ballet Theater that they approve public funding for? Well, it was a lot more special than you think. At that performance the Mayor and our esteemed Coles District Supervisor had the chance to dress up in tights and prance around with an illegal immigrant by the name of Vasily Baldin. Baldin was unlawfully employed by Manassas City Councilman Mark Wolfe, who serves as the Executive Director of the Manassas Ballet Theater, and Wolfe was fully aware of Baldin’s non-compliant immigration status while Baldin was performing.
Between the efforts of Wolfe, Parrish and Nohe, taxpayers in Prince William County and the City of Manassas funnel more taxpayer dollars to the Manassas Ballet Theater than any other cultural or arts entity in the area, and as a special bonus they use your taxpayer dollars to employ illegal immigrants. Maybe illegal immigrants are just better dancers, since you don’t have a whole lot of Americans who want to dress up in frilly costumes and prance around on stage making the hearts of prepubescent hearts swoon. Heaven knows we don’t have enough “men in tights” galloping around and need either illegal immigrants or fabulous elected officials to do that for us. What would happen if there were no illegal immigrants to cavort around in tights? It would be the end of civilization as we know it, most definitely. Either that, or we’d need a whole lot more elected officials.
With Mark Wolfe’s re-election hanging on the outcome of a convention on January 28th, we hope he can explain to delegates at that venue why he feels it’s the right thing to do to funnel taxpayer dollars to an entity he controls so it can unlawfully employ illegal immigrants. We kind of thought that people who make the laws the rest of us have to follow wouldn’t so brazenly break them, and figure that’s the way delegates in Manassas would feel as well.
I bet they’d appreciate an explanation. We sure would.
Updated — Here is the documentation that Baldin was not authorized to work in the U.S.
http://virginiavirtucon.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/mbt-baldin.pdf
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Filed under: Virginia Politics
I’m still wondering why Marty Nohe would dress up in tights. The horror! The Horror!
Ouch. This isn’t going to help on Saturday.
Quick google search seems to check out. The N&M not only wrote an article about this guy but did a video about him.
http://www2.insidenova.com/entertainment/2011/mar/14/manassas-ballet-dance-troupe-perform-saturday-ar-904759/
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2011/may/13/romeo-amp-juliet-comes-to-manassas-are-83460-vi-27044/
At least 2 republicans have a sense of humor!!!!
The documentation proves that there is a serious need for immigration reform. I have never seen so much bait and switch.
It is cases like this that prove how broken the US system really is.
How will the general public know about this? How many people read blogs? Especially the people that will be voting at the convention.
I’d say we are the best vessel to distribute this info. Plus- the more the word gets out, I am sure more information will come out. Do you honestly think it stops with 1 illegal worker? Where does their money go? Why such a high turn over all the time?? Spread the word and let’s find out what is really going on over there, and how high up it goes.
Like Jim Young says………….oh horror of horrors!!! PWC is obviously dying of an overdose of culture!! Of course there is an immigration problem……….this is why it is called a ‘problem’ and if there was a fix, we could do it and go on with life; but in the meantime, lighten up!!!! I do hope you guys have more important things to talk about at the convention!!
It seems that Wolfe was well aware that Baldin was not authorized to work in the U.S., yet they hired him anyway. THAT is the problem this post addresses.
Hypocrisy of the Year… Here’s Mark Wolfe’s own facebook quote: “Time for Virginia to step up on this [illegal aliens]. I’m tired of loosing business and money to firms who rely on illegal labor.” ( May 26, 2011 – 4 days after he himself hired an illegal alien for his own business ! ) Do we want to be represented by a guy on our City Council who openly breaks the law? Had it been a liberal who did it – even once – the conservative blog would be calling for his head. I’m amazed to read in some of the comments above that maybe one crime would be okay for a guy of Wolfe’s standing in the community. After all, it was just a single ballet dancer – what’s the big deal? … ( “but Dad, I’m only a little bit pregnant!”) In any case, word around town is that this has happened before. Does the City Council have enough guts to get rid of Wolfe, or should we begin to think more critically about the City Council?
While I agree wholeheartedly with the point of your post, male dancers “prance around” I’m tights for a living, are bona fide artist athletes with physiques that challenge any competitive athlete. Most are heterosexual and most work harder at their profession and are under paid than most other people.
That said, I agree: most of those idiot city coucilmen were just prancing and pandering to
friends in high places. Further, the illegal aliens were imported by Wolfe and his wife. It is likely that these highly trained dancers, who, being unfamiliar with US immigration law, were brought here not knowing that the intent of the directors was to manipulate and control them. At this point, all the directors had to do is threaten them with firing them, and either the dancers are stuck without legal employment, or deportation, as is the case of this particular dancer. I have watched this happen at MBT for over a decade. It’s about time they get caught arrested and prosecuted for violations involving the IRS, INS and possibly the FBI!
Baldin is just the tip of the iceberg. There are others. And there’s a money-laundering operation going on as well to hide the payments from MBT to the illegal aliens who work for it.
This is a criminal investigator’s dream of a case, as it involves human trafficking, money laundering and a host of other federal felonies.
We need to hear more about this part. Particularly, someone needs to investigate the original sponsor who brought Baldin in from, where, Hafiz, did I read in the documents? What do we know about “Lege Artis Entertainment, Inc” and what is Wolfe’s connection to them? Were they Baldin’s original sponsors, and, if so, how is it that MBT then tried to sponsor him (and botched it – looks like on purpose). I thought alien immigrants couldn’t switch sponsors. Are these folks involved in human trafficking?
Vasily Baldin should not even be up for discussion here, as any other than the subject of the immigration problem, created in full, by Manassas Ballet Theatre. Indeed, he is not the problem . In fact, he is the -victim- of what has happened:
Here is the full story in a nutshell. Vasilly Baldin is a young twenty something fully trained Russian dancer who was lured to the US by the directors at MBT with the promise of employment…and -that they would extend a temporary visa they supplied for him, to get here!!!- . Like many of his predecessors, he is actually innocent of guilt and is struggling to live when it is illegal for him to work!!!
The threat these dancers are under is that if they do not work under such paid indenture as the MBT directors request, they will fire, humiliate and/or dock pay from these dancers. This has been witnessed by many dancers and stakeholders at MBT in the past.
Truth: the leadership at MBT is currently and has, for over a decade, criminally used immigration status as a threat and, thus, tool to control their imported foreign labor that -they have imported!- We’re not talkin’ misdemeanor criminality; this is full-fledged felonious behavior!
It must be noted that of the 50 to 60 plus ex-Soviet block dancers they have hired, around half were already in this country. Many of them either had/have green cards or citizenship. However, many had ongoing visa problems that the MBT leadership said they would help fix. Like with the dancers they imported, they referred them to their DC based immigration attorneys, who in turn, dragged the immigration problem on for years, thus rendering these dancers illegal status. That’s when the directorship could begin their intimidation practices.
None of this is provable fully on paper. Yet, the paper trail in toto implicitly demonstrates a pattern of abuse. All that it will take is for the INS, IRS and/or FBI to begin an investigation. I encourage them to do so soon before non-public documents are (illegally) destroyed. however, they slipped up on Baldin. Here are the documents that demonstrates the offending party to be the directorship at MBT: http://dynamodata.fdncenter.org/990_pdf_archive/200/200008915/200008915_201006_990.pdf (This URL was previously posted above by VA Virtucon).
It would not surprise me if the directors were laundering money to move between the E.D.’s HVAC business, the pitiful example of a school they have, or their own personal UBS, Caymans or other off-shore accounts.
By the way, some may ask how I know this. Suffice it to say that, at one time, I was a stakeholder at MBT and involved there. What I slowly began to understand as a poisonous company culture, in the end, demonstrated itself to be out-and-out legally dangerous. So I simply left without fanfare. -D. R.
Oops. Wrong link. Here are Baldin’s contract and immigration papers:
http://virginiavirtucon.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/mbt-baldin.pdf
Reblogged this on A Bridge Too Far?.
Really from hiring illegals to money laundering. MBT is like every other arts organization out there New Your Ballet, Washington Ballet ect scratching for every dollar so they can under pay talented dancers who deserve more. they go to schools and do free shows sponsor military hurt in action. Mark and Amy push everyday for the arts to be in manassas where our children can come and see them and participate. the city, state piss away more money a day then gets donated to MBT or any other arts group in Manassas. Trying to smear a good mans name just to get somewhere in an election is just wrong. If you want to fight the man bring up real issues at Saturdays convention. Like roads, Schools and Over construction in the area
Anonymous, I sincerely doubt your conclusion. I have watched this man and his wife in action, for a decade: there is -little- good about them. He is an opportunist and she is pathological narcissist. One example among many: they use the death of their son in Iraq as a fundraising tool -and did so as recently as a month after his death!- They look at it as a tribute. But, let’s call a spade a spade: it demonstrates how little they actually care -about anyone- but their own agenda.
I am glad you mentioned “New Your Ballet’ (I think you meant, New York City Ballet) and Washington Ballet: even though their directors are not often very nice people either, they don’t hold a candle to the corruption of this small community -semi- professional company. (and I say “semi” with trepidation).
Grrr! D. Rolman.
So, where does it say that he is an illegal immigrant?
He was denied permission to work in the U.S. Twice. He was then employed by the Manassas Ballet Theater. Pretty clear to me.
D. Rolman……i am curious about your comment – dancers, prancers, trying to impress people in high places…………..who in the world are the people in high places? Corey, et al and other splendid nobodies!!! Also, I’m still waiting to hear of the substantive issues that will be discussed at the Convention on Saturday besides the hiring of illegal prancers!!!!!
Ken Reynolds:
Reconsidering what I said, from your point of view, I recant. They were prancing around on stage more likely because, 1) the ballet needed men for the first act of Nutcracker and 2) possibly because they were donors to the ballet…or worse, had some responsibility in allocating public funds to MBT.
OK- so I am confused. I just happened to stumble onto another blog from 2009 ….. http://www.bvbl.net/index.php/2009/10/16/arts-funding-scandal-in-pwc/
that is 2 years ago- talking about scandal, Mark Wolfe, and Manassas Ballet… what is wrong with this picture???
If there are so many questions, and obviously a LOT of people with info on what is going on at Manassas Ballet, WHY IS NO ONE DOING ANYTHING?!?!?! A blog and newspaper article in the Post is a good start, but are you telling me that no official investigations have ever been done?? What kind of world do we live in that local authorities will not step in? Does Mark Wolfe really have these connections? Does a councilman have the mayor and God knows who else in his pocket? I just do not understand. Manassas Ballet is also a school- WITH CHILDREN! Will noone step up for the sake of the kids? Temporarily remove the current director, Amy- until further investigation is done. Innocent people are the ones who will pay. Why is everyone so afraid of Mark Wolfe?? If he is innocent an investigation would solve everything. If he, council members, his wife and who ever else knew what was going on (possibly office staff??) are guilty take the proper steps. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE?????????
Dear Very Concerned – I’m sorry to conclude that, apparently, yes, people are indeed afraid of Mark Wolfe. The City Council will not step in, because its prominent members serve on his Board of Directors. The Manassas Journal Messenger sponsors the Ballet (and, in any case, they seem to submit to the will of the City and County governments), so they are not even going to mention this issue. You do notice their complete silence, despite all of these accusations. I don’t know why the Post hasn’t followed up on this – particularly because they just published a story on unfair arts funding in our area. No local legal officials are going to bring this to a prosecuting attorney for investigation. Mr. Wolfe seems to know this. Clearly Wolfe himself is not going to comment. His tactic is to remain silent and wait it out, at least until after the Convention. He knows that this has a good chance of blowing over – it always has, so far. In short, there is no one who cares enough – even about illegal aliens, children, or public money – to stop the Ballet’s abuses. Besides, it’s a non-profit organization (sometimes, when it suits them, I guess), and that seems to be a big, messy playground for everyone. Finally, it’s …(god forbid) …THE ARTS (dum, da dum! dum!).
Mark Wolfe finally replied and denied the accusation that he employeed a illegal alien in today’s Patch:
http://manassas.patch.com/articles/council-member-scrutinized-for-immigration-status-of-employee
V Baldin was not really an employee, he was a contractor. Hence, the low pay and no benefits.
It was good Wolfe finally responded, now let’s see the supporting documents.
If what he says is true in his response, then how come the documents show Baldin as illegal- and he was still dancing with the company after?? The proof is in the pictures and the VIDEO of the performances that are dated AFTER Baldin became illegal…….
@Don’t believe it,
I won’t until he shows the supporting documents. The documents linked here are not conclusive on Baldin’s status. The denial letter on page 12 has remedies which the applicant may pursue, unless Wolfe shows that MBT and Baldin pursued those remedies then the documents now in the public domain strongly suggest that indeed Wolfe knowingly employed an illegal alien.
Show Manassas the Documents Mr. Wolfe. Right now Wolfe is playing a game with the convention, his failure to immediately provide any documentation he has so that their validity and information can be verified is a disservice to the Manassas GOP and the citizens of Manassas. Show Manassas the Documents Mr. Wolfe.
On the bvbl website, someone mentioned paychecks. Those would be interesting to see. There should be some written to Mr. Baldin, if he was legally entitled to be paid.
When was the last time that MBT had a true “outside” audit, and who were the auditors, I wonder. Just thinking out loud. The whole thing is appalling.
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