April 19, 2007

Three employees at Colorado potato farm arrested by ICE on criminal charges for possessing false ID cards, aggravated ID theft
19 illegal aliens also arrested on immigration violations during execution of the search warrant

MONTE VISTA, Colo. — Special agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday executed criminal arrest warrants for three employees who worked at “Worley & McCullough Inc.,” a potato farm and processing plant here; 19 illegal aliens were also arrested on administrative immigration violations while a search warrant was executed at the facility.

The April 17 operation followed an 11-month investigation into the alleged illegal hiring practices at the facility.  The six-count November 2006 criminal indictment had only been unsealed late yesterday.

The following Worley & McCullough employees were arrested at the potato farm on criminal charges of obtaining and possessing false identification cards, and aggravated identity theft:  Michael Abeyta, 40 — the company general manager; Luis Trujillo, 42 — a company foreman; and Javier Fuentes-Sotelo, aka “Pollo,” 32 — a company employee.  Abeyta and Trujillo are U.S. citizens; Fuentes-Sotelo is a U.S. permanent resident from Mexico.  Fuentes-Sotelo was also indicted on charges of transferring more than four identification documents.

According to the criminal indictment, an ICE undercover special agent posed as an illegal alien and attempted to obtain employment at Worley & McCullough.  To do so he paid Fuentes-Sotelo to provide false identification documents, which included:  an Alien Registration Card (aka “Green Card”), a Social Security Card, and an Arizona driver’s license.  Fuentes-Sotelo also provided numerous other valid identification documents.  The indictment charges that Abeyta and Trujillo knowingly aided and abetted the identification counterfeiting operation.

“This 11-month investigation and the resulting criminal arrests are part of ICE’s aggressive ongoing pursuit of employers who egregiously violate the law,” said Jeffrey Copp, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Denver. “All employers in all industries and locations must comply with the nation’s laws.  ICE, and our law enforcement partners, will continue to enforce immigration laws from all angles, including: criminal charges, asset seizures, administrative arrests and deportations.”  Copp heads a four-state area that includes:  Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

“This indictment demonstrates that those who seek to provide false identification documents will be held criminally accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Troy A. Eid, District of Colorado.

Abeyta, Trujillo and Fuentes-Sotelo had their initial appearance yesterday before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Gundren Rice.  They remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending their detention hearing April 20.

During Tuesday’s worksite enforcement operation, ICE agents also arrested 19 employees on administrative immigration charges — 16 employees are from Mexico and three are from Guatemala.  There were eight women, 10 men, and one juvenile male.  The juvenile was returned yesterday into the custody of Mexican authorities.

Those arrested on administrative immigration charges have been transferred to the ICE contract detention facility in Denver.  Two of the women have been conditionally released for humanitarian reasons with a notice to appear before a federal immigration judge at a future date.

ICE agents also seized a number of items while executing the search warrant, including:  employee personnel files, four computers, a computer hard drive from the company surveillance camera, and various correspondence relating to hiring, recruiting, and identity documents.

All of the immigration status violators arrested April 17 were interviewed by ICE staff to record any medical, sole-caregiver or other humanitarian situations.  ICE notified representatives from three local county Department of Social Services offices — Alamosa, Rio Grande and Saguache — in the event of emergent sole-caregiver issues.  In all cases, the illegal aliens were fingerprinted and processed for removal from the United States.

Family members of illegal aliens who were arrested in the April 17 operation may call ICE regarding the detention status and the removal process. The phone number is: 303-361-6612.

The Denver Office of the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General assisted ICE with the investigation and the execution of the search warrant.  This case is still under investigation. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Brown, District of Colorado, is prosecuting this case.  The public is reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation; the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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