The owner of several Mexican restaurants in the state has plead guilty to employing illegal immigrants, which gave himself an illegal edge in business.
Lorenzo Castro-Manzanarez, a Mexican citizen living in Springfield, plead guilty to his role in a scheme to employ undocumented immigrants in restaurants he owned, including Cantina Bravo Grille in St. Robert and the El Poblano restaurant in Springfield.
Justice officials indicated that Castro-Manzanarez admitted that between January 2018 and August 2021, he transported and harbored illegal immigrants who were unauthorized to live or work in the U.S., and reportedly encouraging them to live and work illegally and that he would provide them with employment and falsified documents.
According to law enforcement officials, employing undocumented immigrants gave Castro-Manzanarez an illegal business advantage, and that he also admitted that his own I-9 and Social Security documents had been falsified.
Castro-Manzanarez then admitted that even after indictment and being released on bond, he still continued to employ illegal immigrants and providing them with housing under his name.
He was taken into custody after his plea hearing on Monday, and a sentencing hearing will be set after a presentencing investigation by the U.S. Probation Office has been completed.
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