FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
ANGELA DODGE |
Nov. 21, 2011 |
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER |
(713) 567-9388 |
Four Grimaldi’s Employees Indicted Following Immigration Enforcement Action
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Four employees of Grimaldi’s Pizzeria at the La Palmera Mall in Corpus Christi, including the kitchen manager and the assistant kitchen manager, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of forging immigration documents and fraudulent use of Social Security numbers, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.
Federal indictments for creating fraudulent Social Security cards were returned against the kitchen manager, Daniel Nieto-Ibarra, and a cook, Erika Yazmin Perez-Lara. Nieto-Ibarra was also charged with creating a fraudulent permanent resident card. The assistant kitchen manager, Enrique Lopez-Miranda, along with another cook, Marco Antonio Sandoval-Romo, were charged separately with the fraudulent use of a Social Security number.
A previously filed criminal complaint alleged that Nieto-Ibarra and Perez-Lara prepared and delivered fraudulent documents to a government confidential informant who they believed to be a Mexican national seeking illegal employment with the pizzeria.
Nieto-Ibarra and Perez-Lara each face up to 10 years in federal prison, while Lopez-Miranda and Sandoval-Romo each face up to five years if convicted of the charges against them. All four also face a maximum fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release up to three years. All of the defendants have been in custody since their arrest on Nov. 3, 2011, where they will remain pending further criminal proceedings.
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Robert D. Thorpe Jr. and Hugo R. Martinez.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.