Posted on 04/08/2018 7:57:23 PM PDT by 11th_VA
BEAN STATION, TN (WATE) - New details were released Friday about Thursday's raid on an East Tennessee slaughterhouse by the IRS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
What initially began as a criminal raid turned into immigration operation at Southeastern Provisions, a cattle slaughter business in Bean Station.
During the raid, 97 people were found who were subject to removal from the United States. Ten of those were arrested on federal criminal charges, one on state charges and 86 on administrative charges. Of the 86 administrative arrests, 54 were placed in detention and 32 were released.
Large Cash Withdrawals
A search warrant affidavit obtained by WATE 6 On Your Site revealed that federal authorities were tipped off by bank employees about large cash withdrawals from Citizens Bank in Morristown made by employees of Southeastern Provisions. An investigation revealed that James Brantley, who is the president of Southeastern Provisions and his wife Pamela Brantley, along with their daughter Kelsey Brantley and Priscilla Keck, an employee, were withdrawing cash to pay employees at the slaughterhouse.
When bank employees questioned the transactions, the affidavit said they were told the cash was used for payroll. Investigators say $25 million in cash was withdrawn from the bank accounts beginning in 2008.
According to the affidavit, when bank officials toured the slaughterhouse in December 2016, they were told most of the employees were Hispanic and paid weekly in cash. Officials also saw a bank vault being readied for installation.
A Confidential Informant
A confidential informant working for law enforcement was hired by Southeastern Provisions and told law enforcement he never completed any paperwork nor was he required to show any identification or documentation before being hired. The informant said he was told he didn't need a lawful identity to work at the company. He also reported he was paid in cash given to him in an envelope. The informant said most of the 60-70 employees he saw working were Hispanic.
The production workers were required to work overtime without being paid extra for their overtime hours, according to the informant. He said they were also required to work with harsh chemicals, including bleach mixed with other cleaning agents, without proper eye protection.
The informant told officials he knew several of the employees used to work at another meatpacking plant in Morristown, but were fired because their paperwork was fraudulent.
Payroll Tax Issues
Multiple withdrawals of more than $100,000 were made from Southeastern Provisions bank accounts, according to the affidavit. On IRS forms, Southeastern Provisions reported only 44 employees to the government. But based on aerial surveillance, 87 vehicles were found parked at the plant, leading authorities to believe the plant was employing 30-40 more undocumented immigrants.
Using numbers from the investigation, officials estimate that if Southeastern Provisions had properly reported wages to the IRS, they would have an additional $2.5 million payroll taxes from 2013-2016 on top of what they had already paid, according to the affidavit.
As part of the investigation, federal officials seized bank records, employee hours logs, contents of any vaults at the business, employee files and other documents.
“......all people sending money South of the Border should pay a 5% transfer “Wall” tax.”..........
A bill specifying such needs to be sent to Trumps desk for signature, problem is too many liberals of BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE so we can forget about that idea.
I worked in a place where we received a ton of medical bills from a local hospital - for illegals who simply gave our address when treated. That hospital is now closed...
“This liberal TV Station is on the illegals side in this conservative part of Tennessee.”
Exactly. I was watching the local Knoxville news either Saturday or Sunday morning, and it was all about the poor pitiful ilegals. They had one family standing at a podium — I think at a church — with the little kids crying almost hysterically, and one of the kids speaking.
Priests and some ministers in Morristown have joined together to advocate for the downtrodden invaders of TN and USA. Of course, if/when deportation occurs, that’s less $ in the offering plates.
I had to hange channels.
Years ago when one of these meatpacking plants was raided many locals (Americans, not invaders) showed up the next day to apply for jobs. An astonished reported commented to one that these were supposed to be jobs Americans wouldn’t do; the applicant retorted that they were the workers who worked here in the past until the company replaced them with illegals...
This!
Multiply this by 100,000 and you’ll start to get an idea of the real problem.
Exactly.
WATE is owned by Nexstar. If you get a chance, do an FEC search for political contributions by the guys running Nexstar. The head honchos love ‘Rats and RINOs.
Laws of unintended consequences?
- Law abiding citizens are suspect and can’t access large amounts of their own money because law-breaking citizens hire illegals and pay them in cash. These and other criminals cause restrictions on good citizens.
- Law abiding citizens who pay taxes lose jobs to illegals, who are paid in cash to avoid the paying those same taxes
- Law abiding business owners are undercut by law-breaking business owners who hire illegals, who are in turn mistreated
The penalties for these bad business owners should be as public and draconian as possible, with much publicity given to encouraging/rewarding whistle blowers. This has to stop.
The meatpacking family is likely to be introduced to a very DIFFERENT kind of packing in prison. . . .(evil grin)
Do you grasp the irony or, for that matter, the hypocrisy of your answer?
And what was the quality of the meat coming from that plant?
Bean Station was a fort at the great Warpath junction leading north to the Cumberland gap. It is in Grainger county Tennessee, a major source of commercial tomato production and source of illegal alien jobs.
btt
Alternatively, this processor sold the meat at market prices and made humongous profits.
The market prices will not necessarily increase
I’m not sure why in this forum (FR) that that’s so hard to grasp.
And all people sending money South of the Border should pay a 5% transfer “Wall” tax. More than fair considering how much is paid under the table to these Illegals.”””
Trump already put that tax into place. I wanted him to make it 50%.
ICE doesn’t have enough personnel?
HIRE MORE!!!
Your proposal interferes with normal commerce
How do you differentiate sending money home from ordinary commercial payment transactions.
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