BY PERRY LEFKO
sportsnet.ca
A top Canadian Football League agent, who was detained crossing the U.S. border late in December and was extradited to Florida almost four weeks later, returned to Toronto on Tuesday and claimed the whole situation of his arrest has been incorrectly reported.
Mark Maren, whose client roster includes Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn, teammate Otis Floyd, Saskatchewan middle linebacker Barrin Simpson, Winnipeg centre Obby Khan, and more than 40 players throughout the CFL, told Sportsnet.ca late Tuesday night that allegations that he had a record in Canada are factually untrue.
"I’ve got a copy in my hand of an RCMP report that has my finger prints, my ID, that’s an official sealed document that shows no criminal conviction, no criminal arrest in Canada," he said. "I don’t know where that came from."
It stemmed from a media release declared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on December 30, 2010 that stated Maren, a 42-year-old Toronto native, was wanted in Florida on a recent warrant.
The release claimed that Maren applied for admission into the U.S. and presented a Canadian passport as proof of citizenship and identity.
He advised the Border Patrol that his purpose for entering the U.S. was to obtain an entry waiver.
Furthermore, the release said that Maren explained that he had an extensive criminal record in Canada, making him otherwise inadmissible into the U.S. Primary system.
Checks revealed the possibility of an active warrant of arrest in the U.S., whereupon Maren was referred for a CBP secondary enforcement exam that indicated he was the subject of a no-bond felony warrant issued on January 10, 2010 by the Pinellas County, Fla. sheriff’s department.
The warrant charges Maren with scheme to defraud.
Maren, who was awaiting extradition to Florida since he was detained, posted bond a few hours after his arrival and returned to Canada a day later.
"I’ve got a copy of my warrant from the State of Florida that I had bail; that there was a bond issued," he said. "There was never a no-bond felony warrant out of the state of Florida. I don’t know why they would report something like that when all I have to do is show both those documents and discredit the whole story."
Maren confirmed he is wanted in Florida on a felony to defraud.
He said it is being handled by an attorney he has hired in Florida because it’s a legal matter.
Maren did not want to get into details of the case.
He was detained at the border at a county jail in New York for almost three weeks.
"The thing that tied me up the most was that I had to sit and wait for Florida to come and get me. Once I got to the state of Florida, I posted bond," he said. "I got there at one o’clock in the morning on Monday and the bond was posted by eight in the morning."
Maren admitted he has lost some clients who needed his services for contractual matters during his absence.
"Hopefully the ones that I have worked with for a long time and know me and understand my character know this would never be an intentional act, and they’re sticking by me," he said. "Truthfully this arrest has no bearing on how I negotiate contracts and how I represent my players."
