October 5, 2007

Former Cedar Rapids restaurant owner convicted of citizenship fraud

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - A former Cedar Rapids and Waterloo restaurant owner pleaded guilty Friday in federal court here to obtaining his U.S. citizenship through fraud. This plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth, Northern District of Iowa; the case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Jose de Jesus Ibarra-Castaneda, 37, from Marion, Iowa, former owner of the Hacienda Las Glorias and Casa Las Glorias restaurants, was convicted of lying on his application to obtain his U.S. citizenship in 2002.

At the plea hearing, Ibarra-Castaneda admitted he knowingly failed to truthfully answer all of the questions on his naturalization application. In a plea agreement, Ibarra-Castaneda admitted that between 1996 and 2002, he knowingly committed the following crimes: (1) hiring illegal aliens; (2) harboring and conspiring to harbor illegal aliens; (3) using counterfeit alien registration cards; (4) knowingly accepting counterfeit resident alien cards to allow persons to work who were not legally in the United States; and (5) conspiring to use counterfeit alien registration cards and accepting counterfeit resident alien cards to allow persons to work who were not legally in the United States.

Ibarra-Castaneda failed to report his prior criminal activity when he applied to become a U.S. citizen. He is currently serving a prison sentence for his 2004 convictions for filing a false income tax return and knowingly hiring illegal aliens at his restaurants. "Anyone who lies on a federal application to obtain an immigration benefit commits a federal offense and is subject to criminal arrest and prosecution," said Michael Vail, resident agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Cedar Rapids. "ICE aggressively investigates benefit fraud to shut down vulnerabilities that pose a threat to national security. This enforcement also helps maintain the integrity of the immigration process. We will continue to pursue those individuals who obtain legitimate benefits through fraudulent means."

Ibarra-Castaneda faces a maximum penalty of up to an additional 10 years' in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, a 3-year term on supervised release, revocation of his certificate of naturalization, and deportation to Mexico.

Sentencing before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ibarra-Castaneda remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Reinert, Northern District of Iowa, prosecuted this case.

-- 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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