United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

EIGHT FORMER EMPLOYEES AT SWIFT & COMPANY MEAT
PROCESSING PLANT IN CACTUS, TEXAS PLEAD GUILTY

U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas announced today that eight people pleaded to felony charges stemming from the immigration raid at the Swift & Company Meat Processing Plant in Cactus, Texas, on December 12, 2006.

One of the defendants pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the United States after he had been deported, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years incarceration and a $250,000 fine. Two of the defendants pleaded guilty to falsely representing a Social Security number as belonging to them in order to obtain employment at Swift, which carries a maximum punishment of five years incarceration and a $250,000 fine. Five defendants pleaded guilty to using fraudulently obtained identity documents, including a Social Security card, to make it appear as though they were United States citizens legally authorized to live and work in the United States to gain employment at Swift, which carries a maximum punishment of ten years incarceration and a $250,000 fine. The defendants will be sentenced at a later date. Forty-five cases remain pending against other defendants.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent cooperative work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Williams of the Lubbock, Texas branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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