ICE Worksite Enforcement Nets Guilty Plea

Russell D. Taylor, 31, of Bolivar, Mo., the owner of a Missouri roofing company waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty to hiring illegal aliens to work at Taylor-Made Roofing.  Taylor admitted  he hired and/or sub-contracted  illegal aliens to work for him.

By pleading guilty, Taylor agreed to forfeit $185,363, the amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the offense. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Taylor was fined $36,000 ($3,000 fine for each of the 12 illegal aliens who worked). A supervisor working for Taylor, pleaded guilty in a separate but related case to harboring illegal aliens.

Taylor was sentenced to 5 years probation. As a condition of his probation, Taylor must implement an employment-compliance plan and pay the $185,363 money judgment in monthly installments during the first 30 months of probation.

“Employers in all industries and locations must comply with the nation’s immigration laws if we are to have an effective immigration enforcement strategy in the United States,” said Michael Spinella, resident agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Springfield. “We will use all our investigative authorities to pursue employers who take advantage of illegal labor to make an unlawful profit.”

Employers should take a proactive approach by conducting I-9 audits and implementing an employment compliance plan before ICE visits.