Monday, July 13, 2009

Operator of Employment Agency Sentenced to Federal Prison for Harboring Illegal Aliens

LAING YANG, 37, of Duluth, Georgia was sentenced today by United States District Judge Timothy C. Batten to serve 5 years in federal prison on charges of conspiring to harbor illegal aliens.

United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said, “Operating out of a strip mall in Chamblee, five employment agency owners have now been convicted for finding jobs for illegal immigrants in Chinese restaurants up and down the eastern United States. This defendant knew the workers would not be asked for work authorization and would be willing to pay referral fees to him. He profited for a time from his exploitation of the immigration laws and the illegal workers, but his prison sentence should remind those who employ or find jobs for illegal aliens -- alien harboring can be a costly crime.”

“All too often, illegal alien workers are exploited in some fashion by the businesses that hire them, and that is unacceptable,” said Kenneth A. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Atlanta. “We will continue using our investigative tools to pursue those who take advantage of illegal labor for personal profit.”

YANG was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. YANG was convicted of these charges on April 23, 2009, after a trial.

According to United States Attorney Nahmias and other information presented in court: YANG had previously operated an employment agency in Atlanta from 2001 to 2003, which found jobs in Chinese restaurants, predominantly for illegal Hispanic workers. YANG returned to the employment agencies and his illegal activity in November 2007. YANG was fluent in Spanish and two Chinese dialects and he served as the broker between the illegal workers and Chinese restaurants looking for cheap labor. YANG was able to place these illegal workers in jobs in Chinese restaurants and also provide the illegal workers’ transportation to the restaurants without any initial payment by the workers. The transportation fee and YANG’s commission would be paid up-front by the restaurant owner, who would then deduct that cost from the wages paid to the worker.

The investigation included surveillance and undercover agents posing as undocumented workers seeking jobs from YANG at “Dong Sheng Employment Agency,” located in the Chamblee area. Neither the undercover agent nor the other aliens present and seeking employment were ever asked for documentation that they were authorized to work in this country. The undercover agent captured on tape the defendant offering a job working 7 days a week, for 12 hours a day, for the salary of $1,000 per month. Two men who had driven the aliens to jobs in Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia testified at trial against YANG and stated that they would drive the workers to the Chinese restaurant where they would be paid a referral fee that ranged from $800 to $1,000 per worker, and they would return that fee to YANG. Testimony at trial showed that YANG was placing up to 10 workers a week. The drivers were also paid based on the number of illegal aliens they transported. Today the Court found that YANG harbored over 100 illegal aliens in a 4 month period and YANG received the maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

YANG was the only defendant in this network of employment agency owners and operators who went to trial. The remaining operators pleaded guilty to similar charges. Defendant Pik To Cheng, a/k/a “Shirley Wise,” and defendant Lin Chen received lesser sentences of 18 months and 15 months respectively, based in part on their cooperation in the investigation. Another defendant, Hong Mei Li, will be sentenced on July 17, 2009, before United States District Judge Julie Carnes.

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1 comment:

Brittanicus said...

Such issues as immigration reform and health care should not be left to a thrall of politicians, who many do not have the public interest at heart in these matters? Already we have seen this materialize with the original under-funding of our main enforcement--THE BORDER FENCE CONSTRUCTION and the weakening of the illegal worker identifier--E-VERIFY? As it always happens the status-quo have always have the monetary inroads in influencing our legislators, leaving the general population to be startled by a new law enacted, before they have a chance to respond. It really doesn't matter who is the majority party, the American people remain alienated from secret wheeling and dealing. H.R. bills and amendments are passed in Washington chambers, but the real payout takes place behind closed doors.

This happened when Sen. Harry Reid, Speaker Pelosi used their power to under-fund E-Verify or even kill it? Then in California right now--the SANCTUARY STATE--E-Verify is under a great deal of pressure, not to implement it. Assembly member Paul Fong (Cupertino) would prohibit the state, local governments, and special districts in California from requiring an employer to use the federal "E-Verify" system, even when that employer is a contractor to the government. This is typical at state or federal level, no matter the monetary consequences to the US worker. California residents should immobilize this idiot, and threaten him losing when it's time for re-election. SAY NO to AB 1288

Right now as I comment Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is looking for ways, to undermine the ICE raids and 287(g) the local police enforcement law as seen with Sheriff Joe Ariapo in Maricopa County, Arizona and in other states. I thought the whole idea of Homeland Security, along with our politicians when they took the oath of allegiance, was to protect us all? Even the--NO MATCH LETTER--has been compromised. Everything that really works--is CRUSHED! It's more like they are out to protect the interests of the US Chamber of Commerce, Council of Foreign Relations, ACLU and all the open border, special interest groups, including millions of jobs for illegal immigrants into our country. GOOGLE—about their—REAL—INTENTIONS?

They are already showing their true unpatriotic colors, by trying to force through another disastrous immigration reform law. They keep telling us that the 1986 Simpson/mazzoli bill is broken, yet it was never enforced by any president after Ronald Reagan signed it into law. Nor would good old Sen.Ted Kennedy sponsored it, if it didn't ring true? It's just another trick; to legalize "God Knows" how many illegal aliens will swarm the immigration agencies? How many their really are? Which is anybodies guess, will costs trillions of dollars to support these illiterate and many criminals in the majority of cases.


Not the pariah farmers or the businesses that do the hiring, but the taxpayer will have to foot the bill and the millions more who the lay siege to the border--once the word AMNESTY is heard. Now it's up to the American people to demand--NO MORE AMNESTIES! YES! To a strong E-Verify. GOOGLE--illegal immigration and financial costs, because the public is constantly fed propaganda from the Liberals. Call your state or federal representative today! 202-224-3121 In addition sign the petition to--SAVE-- California, to stop billions of welfare benefits going to illegal immigrant who have overrun the State at TAXPAYER REVOLUTION. See the truth at NUMBERSUSA, Questions: Did you know Judge Candidate Sotomayor was/is member of La Raza (the race)? Question: If a new health care plan passes, does that mean taxpayers will have to keep paying higher taxes to support poor illegal aliens and their families?