Posted on 12/14/2007 11:37:43 PM PST by pulaskibush
FAYETTEVILLE -- Information from confidential informants and a series of arrests involving employees of Acambaro led federal officials to Arturo and Silvia Reyes, according to affidavits unsealed Friday. The husband and wife operate the Acambaro restaurant chain, Garibaldi's Mexican Restaurant and Garcia's Distributor, according to federal officials. They're charged with harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain and knowingly hiring them to work at the restaurants and food distribution company. Documents further indicate the alleged unlawful activity included identity theft, possession and use of counterfeit identity documents, employment eligibility verification fraud and money laundering. The affidavits say illegal immigrants were the primary source of employees for the company. Some had worked at the restaurant as long as seven years. They were paid "off the books," often in cash. Both Arturo and Silvia Reyes, who is pregnant, are in the country illegally, according to immigration officials. Arturo and Sylvia Reyes co-managed the businesses and Silvia Reyes kept the books, according to affidavits by Charles Motsinger, a Springdale police detective assigned to an immigration and customs enforcement task force.
The investigation began in September 2006 after a confidential informant told authorities Arturo Reyes, 35, was harboring and employing illegal immigrants at his business. Immigration officials and police then noticed a number of the illegal immigrants they were arresting turned out to be Acambaro employees. They started interviewing the arrested Acambaro employees in March and using information gained about hiring and pay practices to make a case against Arturo and Silvia Reyes, 36. They learned employees were either never asked to provide documentation or fake documents were used. Investigation of financial records indicated the Reyes were dealing in large sums of cash, which investigators thought was unusual because most restaurant patrons were paying with debit cards, according to the informants. Using illegal immigrants for their primary labor source and paying them off the books allowed the company to turn a profit, officials said. Arturo and Silvia Reyes, of Rogers, along with Lucila Huaracha, 33, of Rogers, and Armando Reyes, 33, of Lowell were arrested Monday in a raid by federal and local immigration enforcement. Huaracha and Armando Reyes are also in the country illegally, according to immigration officials.
Huaracha supervised workers she knew were illegal immigrants and she knew money she deposited for the restaurant didn't come from legal transactions, while Armando Reyes hired or helped hire illegal immigrants to work at the restaurants, according to the federal charges against them. All are set for probable cause hearings next Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville. All four are being held in local jails on detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cannot bond out of jail. Federal officials have also requested the forfeiture of 11 properties owned by the Reyes family in Benton and Washington counties. Nineteen other people suspected of being illegal immigrants were arrested during the raids, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Their identities have not been released.
Just remember folks! If Mike Huckabee had his way, these smiling faces would be eligible for in-state tuition! Thanks to his efforts, they can easily obtain welfare.
Nice to see the US government doing it's job. Unfortunately, this took over a year just for the investigation! We need to allow our local law enforcement officers to deal with the problem of illegal immigration so that doesn't take years to stop companies like the Acambaro Restaurant Chain.
Nice to see the US government doing it’s job. Unfortunately, this took over a year just for the investigation! We need to allow our local law enforcement officers to deal with the problem of illegal immigration so that doesn’t take years to stop companies like the Acambaro Restaurant Chain.
— My tagline..
ICE BumP
Get her out of here before we have more of a problem
Immigration Sting Defendants Make First Appearance In Federal Court
By Ron Wood
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE - Four people arrested after raids on Northwest Arkansas-area Acambaro restaurants were hauled before a federal judge Thursday in Fayetteville to hear the charges against them. U.S. Magistrate Judge James Marschewski explained the charges against Arturo Reyes Jr., 35, Silvia Reyes, 36, and Lucila Huaracha, 33, who live in Rogers, and Armando Reyes, 33, of Lowell. All were arrested this week in a raid by federal and local immigration enforcement. All are in the country illegally, according to law enforcement. They were arrested in raids Monday.Arturo Reyes, described as an operator and manager of the Acambaro restaurant chain and a food distribution business, faces charges of knowingly harboring illegal immigrants over the past three years by hiring them to work at the restaurants, according to the judge.Silvia Reyes, who's noticeably pregnant, allegedly hired and supervised illegal immigrants at the restaurants, where she had administrative duties. She also had control over money that came from illegal transactions, according to the judge.
Lucila Huaracha supervised workers that she knew were illegal immigrants and she knew money she deposited for the restaurant didn't come from legal transactions, according to the judge. Armando Reyes hired or helped hire illegal immigrants to work at the restaurants, according to Marschewski.The magistrate also made sure each of the four had a lawyer and set probable cause hearings for next week. The three Reyes will be back in court Wednesday at 9 a.m. Huaracha is set for 10 a.m. Marschewski will then determine whether there's probable cause for the charges and set arraignment dates. All four are being held on detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cannot bond out of jail. While Marschewski read from affidavits filed by law enforcement officers, the cases remain sealed to the public until after arraignments. The four told Marschewski, through an interpreter, that they speak, read and write little or no English.
Members of the Northwest Arkansas Immigration Criminal Apprehension Task Force raided Acambaro restaurants at 215 S. Eighth St. in Rogers, at 121 N. Thompson St. in Springdale, at 301 S. Walton Blvd. in Bentonville and at 406 N. Bloomington in Lowell on Monday morning. Federal officials have also requested the forfeiture of 11 properties owned by a member or members of the Reyes family in Benton and Washington counties. The properties have an appraised value of more than $3.6 million. Documents further indicate the unlawful activity included identity theft, possession and use of counterfeit identity documents, employment eligibility verification fraud and money laundering. Nineteen other people suspected of being illegal immigrants were arrested during the raids, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Their identities were not released.
Illegals Ping!
and possibly more than one.
More Huckabee supporters? Thanks Huck, now go away!
I have a Mexican co-worker who tells me that this family has been using the restaurants as a front for drugs for years.
Naturally, the ACLU and local Hispanic leaders are wailing about this arrest. The ACLU is saying that the Task Force that arrested this bunch was never intended to go after this type of crime, and LULAC and others are wailing about all the “good” these people do in the community...makes you wanna hurl.
< /sarcasm>
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