COUNCIL STAFF MEMBER MAY BE DEPORTED

POL AIDE MAY BE DEPORTED
By TOM TOPOUSIS
May 22, 2008 -- A top aide to a Brooklyn lawmaker is in jail facing deportation to Jamaica because of a minor crime to which he pleaded guilty to 23 years ago. Ray Martin, chief of staff to City Councilwoman Letitia James, was busted by immigration agents last week.

Martin, 43, who has lived in the United States as a legal resident since 1977, was ordered to leave in 2001 after he failed to appear at a court hearing.
The hearing was prompted by immigration agents who checked Martin's background and found the conviction stemming from a 1985 misdemeanor drug charge.
"He's been an exemplary staff member and an exemplary member of the community," James said.