FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
MAY 30, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BALTIMORE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY OWNERS INDICTED FOR CONSPIRACY TO HARBOR ALIENS AND LAUNDER MONEY
Baltimore, Maryland - A federal grand jury indicted Daniel Jones, age 40, of Sparks-Glencoe, Maryland, Robert Lanahan, age 42, of Towson, Maryland and Michael Morgan, age 41 of Timonium, Maryland, today for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens and conspiracy to launder money, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein stated, “Employers who violate the immigration laws exploit illegal aliens and gain an unfair advantage over law-abiding competitors that play by the rules.”
Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, “Targeting employers who violate immigration laws is a critical element of our successful enforcement strategy. Not only are these individuals charged with harboring aliens, but also with the money laundering scheme they created to hide their ill-gotten gains.”
According to the two-count indictment, from January 2004 through March 2007, the defendants operated an employment agency, Jones Industrial Network, located at 16 South Frederick Street, Baltimore, and placed illegal aliens to fill temporary positions at Baltimore area businesses for a fee. These businesses paid Jones Industrial Network by check for the services of the temporary employees. The checks were deposited into the Jones Industrial Network account and the defendants would then write checks on that account to pay the illegal aliens and to pay other business expenses. The defendants allegedly caused Jones Industrial Network to fail to properly document the alien status of the applicants. The indictment further alleges that the defendants kept a computer record of applicants whose social security numbers could not be verified as legitimate.
Jones, Lanahan and Morgan face a maximum sentence for conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to launder money. The defendants initial appearances have not been scheduled.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard C. Kay, who is prosecuting the case.