Agent says he delivered immigrants to Tyson plant

CHATTANOOGA -- An undercover agent who posed as a smuggler testified Thursday that he delivered illegal immigrants directly to the manager of a Tyson Foods poultry plant to use as cheap labor.

Prosecutors in the federal conspiracy trial also played secretly recorded tapes on which a man -- whom they identified as the manager -- says he needs hundreds more workers.

"Hell, I put over 700 people to work," the man said. "I'm going to need to replace 300 or 400 people -- maybe 500. I'm going to need a lot."

The company and three officials are charged with conspiring to smuggle illegal immigrants to work on the production lines of the nation's largest meat processor.

Tyson lawyers said in Wednesday's opening statements that any hiring of illegal immigrants was done by a few plant managers and was not known to executives at Tyson headquarters in Springdale, Ark.

"No one in senior management knew," attorney Tom Green said. "No member of senior management ever violated immigration laws or encouraged" anyone else to do so.

Border Patrol Agent Benito Maldonado testified that he handed over eight illegal immigrants to Monroe, N.C., plant manager Robert Sanford in January 1998. Court records have identified Sanford as an unindicted coconspirator in the case.

Maldonado, who was known to Tyson as Benjamin, described picking up eight illegal immigrants at a warehouse near where they snuck into the country in Del Rio, Texas, using brush as cover.

On the secret tapes, the man identified as Sanford says he would have to check with his boss about paying for the eight workers.

Maldonado testified Wednesday that Tyson plants solicited and accepted 26 deliveries of illegal immigrant workers during an undercover investigation started in 1997.

He said a total of 136 illegal immigrants were taken to Tyson plants in six states. Another 18 illegals were intercepted before reaching Cumming, Ga.

Prosecutors say the conspiracy began in 1994 after Tyson plant managers had trouble hiring cheap legal help for its poultry plants. Company officials then turned to a pipeline of illegal immigrants from Mexico and Central America, Assistant U.S. Attorney John MacCoon alleged.

MacCoon said Tyson sought illegal immigrants because they "would work for low wages and never complain -- no matter how much they were exploited."

Tyson attorneys said they turned down a government demand for $100 million to have the charges dismissed. They also have accused the government of using undercover agents to entrap Tyson employees.

A December 2001 indictment accuses Tyson and three company officials of taking part in a smuggling conspiracy. Besides the company, the defendants include Gerald Lankford, 63, of North Wilkesboro, N.C., a former human relations manager; and two Tyson executives on administrative leave, Robert Hash, 49, of Greenwood, Ark., and Keith Snyder, 42, of Bella Vista, Ark.

Attorneys for Lankford, Hash and Snyder told jurors their clients took part in no conspiracies and never knowingly hired illegal workers.

If found guilty, Tyson could face millions in fines and the loss of government contracts. The company supplies roughly one-quarter of the nation's chicken.

Tyson Time Line

1931 John Tyson moved to Springdale, Arkansas, with his wife and one-year-old son, Don. He made a living hauling hay, fruit, and chickens for local growers.

1935 Inching northward, John Tyson made frequent poultry deliveries to Kansas City and St. Louis.

1936 John pioneered the first long-haul trip from Arkansas to the more lucrative Chicago poultry markets. Within a year, he had extended his hauls to Cincinnati, Detroit, Cleveland, Memphis, and Houston. When shortages of baby chicks threatened his trucking business, John bought a hatchery. When he couldn't get the feed he needed, he started a commercial feed business, grinding and mixing his own.

1943 Because the company already had the chicks, the grain to feed them, and a trucking company to haul the grown chickens to market, the Tyson organization invested in a grower farm.

1947 Tyson Feed and Hatchery was incorporated. John Tyson and Herman Calico formed the marketing and transportation partnership called Tyson & Calico.

1952 By 1952, 19 other companies in the Springdale area had jumped on the poultry bandwagon. Don Tyson left his agricultural studies at the University of Arkansas to join his father's battle against a vulnerable and fluctuating market. When their rollercoaster ride hit a low, with the market and poultry diseases taking their toll, the Swanson Company offered to buy the Tyson business. But now, as in the past, adversity fueled John's determination. With his son at his side, the "Tyson Team" pushed forward.

1957 Tyson built its first processing plant on the north side of Springdale.

1961 Tyson entered the commercial egg business.

1963 The corporation went public. The name was changed to Tyson's Foods. The circle already complete from egg to processing plant, Tyson made its first significant acquisition with the purchase of Garrett Poultry Company in Rogers, Arkansas. With an "expand or expire" strategy, 19 other acquisitions marked the path between 1966 and 1989.

1966 Don Tyson was named President of the company.

1967 Tragedy struck the Tyson family. John and Helen Tyson were killed in a car/train accident in Springdale.

1968 Tyson opened retail outlets called "Chicken Huts."

1970 With broiler sales reaching 72 million, Tyson's Foods hit the Fortune 1000 chart.

1971 The name was changed to Tyson Foods, as it is to this day.

1977 Tyson purchased hog-production facilities in North Carolina. By the end of

1979, Tyson was shipping 7,500 hogs a week, distinguishing it as the nation's largest hog producer.

1982 Tyson Foods debuts on the Fortune 500 chart.

1983 Diversification continued with the purchase of Mexican Original® in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Before long, Tyson was the leading producer of corn and flour tortilla products in the nation.

1986 Tyson advanced to the number-one position for poultry processing. The Tyson Management Development Center, located in Russellville, Arkansas, was opened.

1987 Corporate headquarters expansion projects were started at the Springdale Complex.

1989 Pushing forward with the acquisition of Holly Farms, the nation's third largest poultry firm, Tyson nearly doubled its already impressive 13.5 percent of the national market share.

1992 Marking another big diversification, Tyson leaped into the seafood business with the purchase of Arctic Alaska Fisheries, Inc., and Louis Kemp Seafood.

1994 Tyson was shipping products to 54 countries abroad.

1995 Tyson brought both Cargill's U.S. broiler operations and McCarty Farms, Inc., into the fold. Tyson also purchased Culinary Foods of Chicago, which manufactures some 700 complementary food items from french toast to seafood entrees. About 45 percent of Culinary's business is supplying food for airlines.

1997 Tyson acquired Mallard's Food Products of Modesto, California, an innovator in culinary development and manufacture of refrigerated-fresh entrees. Mallard's is also the nation's third-largest producer of refrigerated gourmet pasta and sauce products.

1998 Tyson solidified its position as the world's largest poultry producer by merging with long-time competitor Hudson Foods. John Tyson becomes Chairman of the Board.

1999 Tyson reorganized to concentrate more on the customer. Business groups were created to realign as specific marketing groups, such as retail, foodservice and international.

2000 Tyson Foods celebrates its 65th anniversary with family gatherings across the country. John Tyson adds title of CEO.

2001 Tyson becomes the world's largest processor and marketer of not only chicken, but also red meat with the acquisition of beef and pork powerhouse, IBP, Inc.

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