Posted on 06/09/2005 4:34:13 PM PDT by Asphalt
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Authorities raided 17 Chinese restaurants around Michigan that they suspect of ducking millions of dollars in taxes and importing undocumented workers as a "modern version of indentured servants."
Search warrants were also served at 21 homes of suspected undocumented Chinese workers. Dozens were involved in the scheme, State Police Lt. Curt Schram said.
"It cost them X number of dollars to come to this country and they're trying to work off that debt," Schram said.
Investigators believe one family or related families own the restaurants, which are mostly in the central and west-central areas of the Lower Peninsula, the statement said.
Nearly 20 workers were living in one house with "very spartan" furnishings in Grand Rapids, Schram said.
The owners are suspected of claiming only a third of their actual income and sending part of the proceeds out of the country, while shortchanging the state and federal governments of millions of dollars in sales, unemployment and use taxes, police said. About $400,000 in cash was seized.
Nine people were arrested at a Chinese buffet in Petoskey, and two people...
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
I believe it. There's a Chinese restaurant in our town we frequent and every single time we pay for our meal in cash, they fail to ring it up. And I'd bet these aren't isolated incidences.
Same here in my hometown.
Also... they seem to "change help" with an alarming frequency.......very high "turnover rate".
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!
Wow, this is interesting!
The one across the street from where I work was raided, and is now closed for 'rennovations'.
LOL
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