(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)
Eleven defendants, including the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, and controller of a Joplin, Mo., corporation, have been sentenced in federal court for their role in a racketeering conspiracy to hire, harbor, and transport undocumented workers in several Midwestern states.
“Immigration issues in the country and in this district are not limited to those who illegally enter the United States. Businesses and entities who skirt the law and provide an environment that encourages and assists undocumented individuals to enter and remain in the United States unlawfully will be held accountable. My office is committed to prosecuting both individuals who illegally enter the United States as well as businesses and entities that profit off their labor,” said R. Matthew Price, United States Attorney, Western District of Missouri. “I would like to thank our law enforcement partners at HSI Kansas City for their work on this important matter.”
“The sentencing handed down today sends an unmistakable message. If you build your business on illegal labor and criminal racketeering, you will pay a steep price,” said Mark Zito, HSI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge. “This criminal enterprise was a calculated attack on our laws, our economy, and the most vulnerable among us. HSI Kansas City will not tolerate those who exploit workers and cheat honest business owners for profit. Today’s sentence proves that anyone who thinks they can get away with this kind of lawlessness will be hunted down, prosecuted, and held to the highest account.”
Jose Luis Bravo, 55, of Claremore, Ok.; Jose Guadalupe Razo, 44, of Carl Junction, Mo.; Anthony Edward Doll, 47, and Miguel Tarin-Martinez, 47, both of Joplin, Mo.; Antonio Martinez-Munoz, 48, of Collinsville, Ok.; Rodrigo Manrique Razo, 43, of Great Bend, Ks.; Juan Carlos Palma-Cedeno, 41, a citizen of Mexico; Jose Luis Lopez-Valadez, 45, of West Plains, Mo.; Jaime Ramirez-Ceja, 47, a citizen of Mexico; Jose Luis Rodriguez-Valerio, 61, of Tulsa, Ok.; and Veronica Razo de Lara, 51, of Great Bend, Ks., have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark.
Each defendant previously admitted to taking part in a RICO (racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations) conspiracy from Jan. 2018, to Aug. 2021, that transported and employed Mexican, Guatemalan, and El Salvadoran nationals who were not authorized to live or work in the United States. Conspirators also harbored and encouraged the unauthorized workers to remain and reside in the United States by providing them with housing and, in certain circumstances, fraudulent identification documentation.
Specialty Foods Distribution (SFD) is a Missouri corporation, based in Joplin, specializing in wholesale Mexican food products and restaurant supply products. During the racketeering conspiracy, SFD’s executive staff included Jose Bravo as chief executive officer; Jose Razo as president; Anthony Doll as chief financial officer; Miguel Tarin-Martinez as controller.
Bravo, J. Razo, Doll, and Tarin-Martinez created, maintained, and/or otherwise oversaw a network of enterprise-affiliated restaurants in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma that were serviced by SFD. The enterprise-affiliated restaurants were managed and/or staffed by coconspirators, including defendants Martinez-Munoz, R. Razo, Palma-Cedeno, Lopez-Valadez, Ramirez-Ceja, Rodriguez-Valerio, and Razo de Lara. Together, the defendants conspired to staff the restaurants with unauthorized workers—a workforce not available to law-abiding business owners—thereby gaining an unfair and illegal competitive business advantage.
As part of the conspiracy, the defendants utilized evasive and fraudulent tactics. Specifically, to keep the enterprise-affiliated restaurants staffed and profitable, the defendants kept certain unauthorized workers off official payroll records; required certain unauthorized workers to work at times when federal officials were unlikely to conduct inspections; failed to collect or maintain complete and accurate Form I-9 documentation; falsely attested to the accuracy of Form I-9 documentation; submitted inaccurate wage and hour reports to state officials; and facilitated fraudulent identification documentation being produced, transported, and provided to unauthorized workers.
To date, the Court has imposed an aggregate 164 months of imprisonment and ordered forfeiture in an amount over $6,400,000.00. As to each defendant, the Court imposed the below-listed sentences.Bravo, who was the leader and organizer of the racketeering conspiracy, was sentenced to a 36-month term of imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay or otherwise provide approximately $5,764.537.47 representing the proceeds he obtained from the racketeering enterprise, property he acquired or maintained as part of the racketeering enterprise, and/or property that afforded a source of influence over the racketeering enterprise. Specifically, the forfeiture amount includes funds from five bank accounts; payment for his share of 12 real properties, including one personal residence and 11 commercial buildings; and payment for his share of over 20 business entities, including a portion of SFD.
J. Razo, who was a supervisor and manager of the racketeering conspiracy, was sentenced to a 30-month term of imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay or otherwise provide $130,700.04 representing the proceeds he obtained from the racketeering enterprise.
Doll, who was a supervisor and manager of the racketeering conspiracy, was sentenced to a 10-month term of home detention as a condition of probation and was ordered to pay or otherwise provide $132,303.09 representing the proceeds he obtained from the racketeering enterprise.
Tarin-Martinez was sentenced to a 24-month term of imprisonment, three-year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay or otherwise provide $23,094.97 representing the proceeds he obtained from the racketeering enterprise.
Martinez-Munoz, who worked as a manager at Bravo’s Mexican Grill in Overland Park, Ks., was sentenced to a 15-month term of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.
R. Razo, who served as the manager of Playa Azul Mexican Restaurant in Great Bend, Ks., was sentenced to a 13-month term of imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, and was ordered to pay or otherwise provide $81,933.28 representing the proceeds he obtained from the racketeering enterprise.
Palma-Cedeno, who worked as an employee at El Banquete Mexican Restaurant in Claremore, Ok., was sentenced to a 10-month term of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.
Lopez-Valadez, who served as the manager of two El Charro Mexican Restaurant locations in West Plains, Mo., was sentenced to an eight-month term of home detention as a condition of probation and was ordered to pay or otherwise provide $345,791.86 representing the proceeds he obtained from the racketeering enterprise.
Ramirez-Ceja, who served as the manager of El Charro Mexican Restaurant in Lebanon, Mo., was sentenced to an 11-month term of imprisonment and a one-year term of supervised release.
Rodriguez-Valerio, who served as a manager at Bravo’s Mexican Grill in Overland Park, Ks., was sentenced to a 13-month term of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.
Razo de Lara, who served as the manager of Maria’s Mexican Grill, in Great Bend, Ks., was sentenced to a 12-month-and-one-day term of imprisonment and a three-year term of supervised release.
Defendants Eusebio Ramirez-Ceja, 55; Alejandro Castillo-Ramirez, 44; and Lorenzo Castro-Manzanarez, 43, all three citizens of Mexico, have pled guilty and are awaiting sentencing.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rudolph R. Rhodes IV, Nicholas Heberle, David Wagner, and Leigh Farmakidis. It was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service; Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations; Kansas Bureau of Investigation; Kansas Department of Labor; Kansas Department of Revenue; Kansas Highway Patrol; Missouri State Highway Patrol; and Butler, Mo., Police Department.
16 comments:
Did anyone notice the difference in sentencing for the Caucasian individual? He profited more than others but only got home detention.
Well done charging these sleezy corporations with the corruption they pursue. When corps stop hiring illegals then maybe theyll stop coming illegally
Did anyone notice that as the onion is peeled back on Illegal Aliens that more and more Crimes, Fraud, and Criminals keep appearing - just like in Minnesota - with Somalia Day Cares and other Somalia Businesses - with NO CHILDREN IN THEM - and their "Learing Schools", you cannot make up this Crazy BS - that is how they spelled it.
The Yearly Budget of Minnesota for 2024-2025 budget saw total spending near $61.8 billion - yet just the Somalia Fraud is estimated at between $9 to $15-Billion Dollars. Who paid for all this Fraud the Hardworking Taxpayers of America.
When will the Leftist Liberal Democrats every get a grasp of reality and knowledge that under the Biden / Harris Presidency and letting in 15-Million Undocumented Illegal Aliens they committed one of the Biggest Criminal Conspiracy's ever on the American People.
Yes I did, This is that white privileged the left is always talking about, I’m sure glad it’s back 😊. Straight While Males, just like the folks that signed the Declaration Of Independence.
This should stir someone up..
Remember when Butterball would run the ticker across the bottom of the screen and tell what shifts they were canceling for the week, That’s when ICE was in town, nobody ever said anything WTF
More racist bigotry by none other than our own "The PPPP" 752 and a few other, 957, deplorable rightwing nuts who take up residence in the local sleezy white supremist pathetic gathering of genetically weak and pathologically diseased magats and rinos. I only bring light to 957 for their failure at attempting to fully plagiarize a page out of the orange fuhrer playbook of childlike asinine statements and galactically ignorant ideas. We need a real leader like Canada's Mark Carney. It sucks to think our petulant manchild actually has access to the nuclear codes.
Treasures of ill-gotten gains do not profit.
Dude, start taking your meds again.
This here's just what my pastor tells us at church every week.
It's well worth the 10% tithe to know we are living right and we will be saved at the rapture.!
11:16AM, Elvis, another Leftist Liberal Democrat, cannot stand the Truth and the Facts. Everyone is either a Nazi or a Racist for wanting people to follow the Laws of the Land, Illegal Aliens are Criminals, they are Breaking the Laws, but Elvis, with his Woke, DEI, CRT, Pronoun Shaming, Rainbow Attitude, tries to constantly embarrass himself with his limited brainless diatribe. We can only hope that this exceptionally undermining person could be sent to Canada, so we could let that Country try and take care of him and his many problems. Maybe we could start a Go-Fund-Stupid Site to raise money for his bus-ride to send him to Canada permanently, of course Elvis, probably doesn't even have a Driver's License or Passport, because he doesn't believe that he has to follow the Laws of our Country or any other Country.
This is the Playbook of all the Leftist Liberal Democrats, Laws are only there to protect us Democrats when we do something wrong, with our Violence and Hate - though we don't have to follow those Laws, because we are above the Laws - Just like when you try and hit or run over the police, state, or federal agents with a car using deadly force - that isn't our fault - well - your actions have consequences and will continue to have consequences - the People of the United States of America are tired of your Lawless Actions!
Remember - Actions have Consequences and you Democrats with Limited Mental Capacities in causing Violence and Hate - will face those Consequences. Again, we will all be glad to Donate to send you to Canada - they deserve more disconnected and delusional people like you in their country. Goodbye, Good Riddance, don't let the Border Gate hit you in the Azz.
248, the cut and paste master of malarkey, manufacturing more misleading magat malignancy.
Do the meatpacking plants?
531, another leftist liberal woke, dei, crt, pronoun shaming, rainbow, democrat, who is always pushing violence, hate, nazis, and racism, but can never figure out the truths and facts. It is illegal to run a stop sign - it is illegal to try and hit and run over the police, state, or federal agents - this is backed up by laws, it is illegal to come to or enter into our country or any other country in the entire word - "THE ENTER WORLD - Why can't these democrats understand the laws of the United States or even the entire World - It is illegal to come or enter into any country in the World - Illegally - it is backed up by laws - So simple yet so confusing to the simple-minded democrats. Maybe because they have drunk so much Democratic Kool-Aid for so long it has damaged and rotted their brain cells. LOL 🤣 LOL - - -
I'm sure you are the Kool-Aid expert!
Or is it spelled Kook-Aid?
Can we deport both Elvis-11:16AM and 5:31AM, and put them on a slow boat 🚢to China with the rest of the leftist liberal democrats? The US Citizens are tired of these Anti-Americans go live with the other haters of America.
329, the ultimate epitome of white nationalist bigotry, and hatred, with an extreme case of hereditary ignorance. These (329) white deplorables will always unfortunately provide genetically inferior ignorance and cost the rest of affordable Healthcare because they are the obese, chain smoking, diet coke drinking, little Debbie snack cake consumers, that even that nutcase rfk makes reference to in his cringeworthy press releases. Take a deep breath (if you can) 329, and see the light. You don't have to be doomed with the rightwing hate curse if you don't want too.
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