Four people have been indicted on federal charges stemming from the 2019 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids of Mississippi poultry plants and agrifood businesses and the subsequent investigations.
The indictments were made just one day shy of a year from when the raids occurred, in which ICE executed multiple federal criminal and administrative search warrants at seven sites across central Mississippi. The raids led to the detainment of 680 alleged illegal immigrant workers.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), those indicted are managers, supervisors or human resources personnel from two of the companies targeted in the raids.
The indictments
Salvador Delgado-Nieves, 57, of Pelahatchie, Mississippi, was charged with three counts of harboring illegal aliens, three counts of assisting illegal aliens in falsely representing themselves to be United States citizens, three counts of assisting illegal aliens in obtaining false Social Security cards, and one count of making a false statement to law enforcement officials when he denied having hired illegal aliens at A&B Inc. in Pelahatchie.
Delgado-Nieves faces up to 74 years in federal prison and $2.5 million in fines for these criminal violations, as Counts 1-6 carry a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation, Counts 7-9 carry a maximum of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count, and Count 10 carries a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Iris Villalon, 44, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was indicted on one count of harboring an illegal alien, and one count of making false statements when she denied that she had hired illegal aliens for employment with A&B Inc., in Pelahatchie, and one count of causing false employer quarterly wage reports to be filed when she knew the Social Security number represented in such reports was not assigned by the Social Security Administration to that specific illegal alien employee.
Villalon faces up to 20 years in prison and $750,000 in fines for these criminal violations, as Count 1 carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and Counts 2-3 carry a maximum of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count.
Carolyn Johnson, 50, of Kosciuskio, Mississippi, was a human resource manager and Aubrey “Bart” Willis, 39, of Flowery Branch, Georgia, was the manager at Pearl River Foods LLC in Carthage, Mississippi. Johnson was indicted on six felony counts of harboring an illegal alien as well as one count of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. Willis was indicted on five counts of harboring an illegal alien.
The indictment charges both defendants with harboring illegal aliens after the execution of federal warrants at the Pearl River Foods facility on August 7, 2019. Johnson was also indicted for fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with a grant from the State of Mississippi for reimbursement for on-the-job training for employees of Pearl River Foods. As set forth in the indictment, Johnson submitted claims for reimbursement for on-the-job training that never occurred.
If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum of up to 84 years in prison and $2.25 million in fines, with Counts 1-6 carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation, Count 7 carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation, and Counts 8-9 carrying a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation.
If convicted, Willis faces a maximum of up to 50 years and $1.25 million in fines, Counts 1-5 carrying a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation.
No indictments for Peco Foods, Koch Foods or PH Food personnel
In addition to raiding and investigating Pearl River Foods and A&B Inc., raids occurred at three plants operated by Peco Foods, one plant operated by Koch Foods, and one facility operated by shipping company PH Food.
The involved facilities operated by Peco Foods are located in Canton, Bay Springs and Sebastopol, while the Koch Foods plant raided is in Morton. Koch Foods is the fifth largest poultry company in the United States, while Peco Foods is the eighth largest.
Nobody affiliated with Koch Foods, Peco Foods or PH Food were named in the recent indictments.
“The results of this ongoing criminal investigation illustrate the importance of strong interior enforcement. The arrests made last year pursuant to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s execution of more than a dozen search warrants, have thus far yielded 126 indictments, 117 criminal arrests and 73 convictions. In total, more than 403 individuals falsified Social Security information in order to gain illegal employment in the United States,” acting ICE deputy director and senior official performing the duties of the director Matthew T. Albence said in a press release.
“Companies who intentionally or knowingly base their business model on an illegal workforce deprive law-abiding citizens and lawful immigrants of employment opportunities, which are especially critical as our economy looks to recover from the challenges faced by the COVID-19 pandemic. ICE Homeland Security Investigations will continue its commitment to uphold the laws Congress has passed. These laws protect jobs for the legal workforce, reduce incentives for illegal migration, and eliminate unequitable financial advantages for businesses employing illegal immigrants.”
