SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The owner of a southwest Missouri roofing company was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to forfeit more than $180,000 and pay a $36,000 fine for knowingly hiring illegal aliens. The sentence resulted from a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Russell D. Taylor, 31, of Bolivar, Mo., was sentenced in the Western District of Missouri Feb. 3 to forfeit $185,363 to the government and pay a fine of $36,000. He pleaded guilty Sept. 14 to knowingly hiring, contracting and sub-contracting to hire illegal aliens from August 2006 through April 2008.
The court ordered Taylor to forfeit to the government $185,363, which represents the amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the offense, and to pay a fine of $36,000, which represents a $3,000 fine for each of the 12 illegal aliens who worked under the supervision of Juan Pacheco-Herrera. Pacheco-Herrera pleaded guilty in a separate but related case to harboring illegal aliens.
The court also sentenced Taylor to serve five years of probation. As a condition of probation, Taylor must implement an employment-compliance plan and pay the $185,363 money judgment in monthly installments during the first 30 months of probation.
"Employers in all industries and locations must comply with the nation's immigration laws if we are to have an effective immigration enforcement strategy in the United States," said Michael Spinella, resident agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Springfield. "ICE is creating a culture of compliance among businesses by leveling both criminal and civil fines against employers who egregiously violate immigration laws."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robyn L. McKee, Western District of Missouri, prosecuted this case.
In April, ICE implemented a new, comprehensive strategy to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce. Under this strategy, ICE is focusing its resources on the auditing and investigation of employers suspected of cultivating illegal workplaces by knowingly employing illegal workers.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE comprises four integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.
