Miss. company pleads guilty in immigration raid
Feb 24, 6:46 PM (ET)
By HOLBROOK MOHR
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - One of Mississippi's most successful private companies pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to violate immigration laws related to the nation's largest workplace raid on illegal immigrants, federal authorities said.
Immigration agents detained more than 600 illegal immigrants at Howard Industries' electrical transformer plant in Laurel during a massive raid on Aug. 25, 2008. Most of them were deported, though a few were convicted on identity theft charges for using fraudulent documents and providing fake papers to other workers.
The company had repeatedly denied knowing that illegal immigrants worked at the plant, but pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy. The company agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine, which is larger than normal for such a conviction, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release.
The company said in a statement that it was pleased to resolve the investigation "based on the actions of its former human resources manager Jose Humberto Gonzalez."
My Way News - Miss. company pleads guilty in immigration raid
Feb 24, 6:46 PM (ET)
By HOLBROOK MOHR
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - One of Mississippi's most successful private companies pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to violate immigration laws related to the nation's largest workplace raid on illegal immigrants, federal authorities said.
Immigration agents detained more than 600 illegal immigrants at Howard Industries' electrical transformer plant in Laurel during a massive raid on Aug. 25, 2008. Most of them were deported, though a few were convicted on identity theft charges for using fraudulent documents and providing fake papers to other workers.
The company had repeatedly denied knowing that illegal immigrants worked at the plant, but pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy. The company agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine, which is larger than normal for such a conviction, the U.S. Justice Department said in a news release.
The company said in a statement that it was pleased to resolve the investigation "based on the actions of its former human resources manager Jose Humberto Gonzalez."
My Way News - Miss. company pleads guilty in immigration raid