JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi restaurant owner, two relatives and his company have been sentenced for harboring illegal workers.
U.S. District Court Judge David Bramlette on Thursday sentenced Cheng Lin, 36, of Meridian to a year in federal prison and 5 years of supervised release.
Sentenced to six months in prison and six months of house arrest were Lin’s father, Guo Guang Lin, 61, of Brooklyn, New York, and Lin’s wife, 33-year-old Yang Fei Tang. Each was also sentenced to three years’ supervised release.
The Lins pleaded guilty to harboring illegal workers, while Tang pleaded guilty to hiring more than 10 illegal workers within a year.
Cheng Lin’s company, Lin’s China Buffett of Meridian, was sentenced to two years of probation, ordered to execute an immigration compliance program and pay a $200,000 fine. The Lins previously agreed to forfeit $731,000.
Prosecutors said Homeland Security Investigations agents saw a van make trips from a house where workers lived to the restaurant between 2012 and 2017. In February 2017, agents searched the restaurant and found nine workers in the country illegally. Prosecutors said none of those people had to verify their identity or legal status to work when they were hired and weren’t asked about their immigration status.
Authorities said Cheng Lin acknowledged paying employees in cash without paying taxes. He was fined $23,250 for similar violations at a New Orleans restaurant he owned in 2007 after agents arrested numerous people who had entered the country illegally. He admitted to paying employees in cash, and that employees were provided lodging, transportation and meals at no expenses.
Guo Guang Lin was identified as the driver of the van and a cook at the restaurant. He was also listed as an officer of the company in legal papers.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.