The Morning News: News : Report: Informants, Arrested Employees Led To Immigration Raid

Report: Informants, Arrested Employees Led To Immigration Raid

Police Affidavits Detail Investigation Of Reyes Family

Last updated Friday, December 14, 2007 9:06 PM CST in News

By Ron Wood
THE MORNING NEWS

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FAYETTEVILLE -- Information from confidential informants and a series of arrests involving employees of Acambaro led federal officials to Arturo and Silvia Reyes, according to affidavits unsealed Friday.

The husband and wife operate the Acambaro restaurant chain, Garibaldi's Mexican Restaurant and Garcia's Distributor, according to federal officials. They're charged with harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain and knowingly hiring them to work at the restaurants and food distribution company. Documents further indicate the alleged unlawful activity included identity theft, possession and use of counterfeit identity documents, employment eligibility verification fraud and money laundering.

The affidavits say illegal immigrants were the primary source of employees for the company. Some had worked at the restaurant as long as seven years. They were paid "off the books," often in cash.

Both Arturo and Silvia Reyes, who is pregnant, are in the country illegally, according to immigration officials.

Arturo and Sylvia Reyes co-managed the businesses and Silvia Reyes kept the books, according to affidavits by Charles Motsinger, a Springdale police detective assigned to an immigration and customs enforcement task force.

The investigation began in September 2006 after a confidential informant told authorities Arturo Reyes, 35, was harboring and employing illegal immigrants at his business.

Immigration officials and police then noticed a number of the illegal immigrants they were arresting turned out to be Acambaro employees.

They started interviewing the arrested Acambaro employees in March and using information gained about hiring and pay practices to make a case against Arturo and Silvia Reyes, 36. They learned employees were either never asked to provide documentation or fake documents were used.

Investigation of financial records indicated the Reyes were dealing in large sums of cash, which investigators thought was unusual because most restaurant patrons were paying with debit cards, according to the informants.

Using illegal immigrants for their primary labor source and paying them off the books allowed the company to turn a profit, officials said.

Arturo and Silvia Reyes, of Rogers, along with Lucila Huaracha, 33, of Rogers, and Armando Reyes, 33, of Lowell were arrested Monday in a raid by federal and local immigration enforcement. Huaracha and Armando Reyes are also in the country illegally, according to immigration officials.

Huaracha supervised workers she knew were illegal immigrants and she knew money she deposited for the restaurant didn't come from legal transactions, while Armando Reyes hired or helped hire illegal immigrants to work at the restaurants, according to the federal charges against them.

All are set for probable cause hearings next Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.

All four are being held in local jails on detainers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and cannot bond out of jail.

Federal officials have also requested the forfeiture of 11 properties owned by the Reyes family in Benton and Washington counties.

Nineteen other people suspected of being illegal immigrants were arrested during the raids, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Their identities have not been released.

LEGAL LINGO

Affidavit

A written statement of facts voluntarily made under oath. An affidavit is based on either personal knowledge, direct observation or is information a person can state as true even though they don't have first-hand knowledge.

Source: Answers.com

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Reader Comments (16 comment(s))

The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.

Brittanicus wrote on Dec 14, 2007 10:20 PM:

" Texas Senator Hutchinson's Amendment to stop construction of border fence! After the Secure Fence Act of 2006 was signed into law by President Bush in October 2006, millions of Americans had a right to expect a double-layer fence would be built along our border with Mexico," Elliott said. "Now, if the Senator Kay Baily Hutchison amendment gets signed into law that fence is never going to be built," he said. Elliott said the language of the amendment from Hutchison (S. Amdt. 2466) specifically would exempt the Department of Homeland Security from having to build any fence at all. The Hutchison amendment reads, in part, " … nothing in this paragraph shall require the Secretary of Homeland Security to install fencing, physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in a particular location along an international border of the United States, if the Secretary determines that the use or placement of such resources is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location." Demand Sen. Hutchinson rescind this Amendment, before its too late! She must be pandering to the globalist, open-border, free market agenda. Already taxpayers are supporting millions of illegal foreign nationals. numbersusa for free faxing. TELL THE WORLD AROUND YOU! "

faithfull wrote on Dec 15, 2007 3:02 AM:

" That is unfortunate to hear. Our government is doing many things wrong with this issue but I do thank ICE for maintaining pressure. The problem is those that do come here illegally come here with no Allegience to the country, meaning they come here with reconquista in mind, on the other hand those who come here through legal immigration have a far different view. We must demand that our government go through proper channells with immigration. This is just too crazy and way out of hand. Our forefathers would be turning over in their grave. "

lousaxon wrote on Dec 15, 2007 7:16 AM:

" They go after the little employers and the big guys like Tyson and Superior Industries who hire tons of illegals get off scott free. What a corrupt organization. "

asbestosman wrote on Dec 15, 2007 7:56 AM:

" We need more informents. "

bzperson21 wrote on Dec 15, 2007 8:00 AM:

" The problem here is not fences, it's our laws that protect everyone in this country. If an illegal provides a social security number to his employer and the number does not match the name, social security tells the employer that. The employer goes back to the employee and says that not your valid social security number, the employee oh thats my wife, husband, or who evers number. This can go on for quite some time considering that most communication is done through the United States Post Office and not on the internet. However even though the employer knows the employee is not legal if he fires that person he could face a discrimination lawsuit. Our laws protect any person on U.S. soil. And if Imagration would go after larger employers who pay attorneys to protect them from these types of lawsuits things could get tied up in the court system until nobody cares. So there is no easy answer. "

bzperson21 wrote on Dec 15, 2007 8:21 AM:

" Building a fence is not going to stop the illegal immagration, they will just get more creatative. Not hiring them is discrimanation. Our laws that protect us also protects them. They get a job, they show up on time, they work hard, they are devoted, they are friendly and polite,they have just one problem, invalid social security number. An employer can not fire an employee for not providing a vilid social security number, thats discrimination. They can do just about anything that we can do because this is the land of the free. There is no easy solution, but my understanding is that they come here for a better life, and they put a lot of effort into being here and staying here. For all of those reasons and all of that effort was placed in the city or town or village or country they came from what would there homeland be like. "

whooyaa wrote on Dec 15, 2007 9:54 AM:

" Cheer's to the Fayetteville police and ICE.We are under invasion and everybody seems to look the other way.Well it's getting to the point that no matter which way you look it's visible.Just take a look at the monkey business the democrats pulled by(trying)to change the vote.To make welfare and foodstamps available to illegals at the cost of benefits for our seniors and the list goes on and on.For what so they can get a few more votes and win the presidency.Can they stoop lower than treason by selling or giving away the future of this country. They say that we have to stop the magnet that draws the illegals to this country.When your a first world country ,you will always be a magnet to the third world countries.Although our politicians are doing a fantastic job to stop this draw,by turning our country into a bankrupt third corrupt world country. Enough is Enough Look out Canada, after they pillage all they can from us,they will invade you too.... "

Madison wrote on Dec 15, 2007 11:28 AM:

" Thanks for the info. tad44.Another thing everyone can do is join anti-illegal immigration groups.My favorite is Numbers USA.Let your elected officials know how you feel about this issue through the Numbers USA faxes. "

Django wrote on Dec 15, 2007 11:37 AM:

" Thank you ICE/INS.Hit Tyson! Hit Cargill! Hit George's! Hit builders and developers and everyone else who hires illegal aliens. As far as the fence is concerned,we don't need one. We need our military on the border. What better example of national defense than to actually defend the nation. Troops,tanks,attack helicopters on the border.On both borders if necessary. "

Madison wrote on Dec 15, 2007 11:41 AM:

" American Border Patrol...Includes Video Link... Photo of the Day... Screen grab from San Diego TV Station video of fire bomb being thrown at Border Patrol agents. (Fire bomb bounced off of top of fence.) The video showed blatant attacks on the United States by Mexicans....http://www.americanpatrol.com/ "

Madison wrote on Dec 15, 2007 12:05 PM:

" Our neighboring states have established laws to deal with illegal aliens,which is pushing more illegals to come to Arkansas.I think we need a law like Oklahoma's HB-1804. "

richgetricher wrote on Dec 15, 2007 4:05 PM:

" Another group of people who are making money here nd not paying minumum wages. These illegals also are killing our helthcare system. Not paying for their medical bills, so our tax dollars have to cover the bills. Hospitals are going broke and insurance not able to cover like it did in the past. Deport Illegals! It is illegal. "

faithfull wrote on Dec 15, 2007 5:14 PM:

" I really think at this election time everyone needs to address these candidates very strongly on the Illegal issue. As far as I am concerned any elected offical should not be elected longer than 1 year with the option of being re-elected. We need to send them a strong message. "

lewis1946 wrote on Dec 15, 2007 6:03 PM:

" Yes, I am beginning to wonder if it is small business that will only be taken and not corportations that do the real big business. Is this just another small show for us to see? When a really large business is hit then we will know for sure. Also, MS-13 seems to be taking more control than the police around America. Hire an Illegal Worker, Lose Your Business Arizona's tough new immigration law has companies running scared In the 20-plus years since starting out as a cook, Jason LeVecke has built up one of the biggest restaurant chains in Arizona. He now boasts 1,200 employees manning 57 Carl's Jr.s across the state--ten of them added this year alone. But on Jan. 1, a new law takes effect in Arizona that would severely punish businesses caught hiring illegal immigrants. So LeVecke is looking for growth outside his home state, and will build 25 new restaurants in Texas. Unless the legal situation improves, he says: "We won't add any new sites in Arizona. It's too great a risk." "

faithfull wrote on Dec 16, 2007 4:41 AM:

" Lewis your right, that is the beef with citizens. By allowing illegals to come here and this time it is way too many we have street gangs instead of people looking for a better life. If this was done through legal immigration those who have ill intentions against our country would be less likely here. Also with a different attitude. As far as Carl`s jr it`s business if they can`t survive without illegal labor then they are in the wrong business. For Carl`s jr to say that is a cop out. Point being, if America needs more labor workers then we have our own government to blame for not addressing the issue and getting off their lazy behinds and doing it in an organized way. Illegal is not good for the country nor the illegals. It created a dangerous enviornment for both. "

Tspud wrote on Dec 16, 2007 9:10 PM:

" Jason LeVecke must think he has ILLEGALS working for him now if he thinks: "It's too great a risk." If not, he has nothing to lose by following the law. "

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