Jacksonville Restaurant Owner Fined $10,000 For Pattern Of Hiring Illegal Aliens

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel B. Toomey today sentenced Juan Carlos Angel (35) to pay a $10,000 fine for engaging in a pattern of hiring illegal aliens. Angel is the owner of Peppers 5 Mexican Restaurant, on Atlantic Boulevard and other locations, in Jacksonville.

Angel pleaded guilty to the offenses on October 30, 2013.

According to court documents, in June 2013, four employees of the Jacksonville restaurant had been arrested for document fraud following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) audit of the restaurant’s Form I-9s, or employment eligibility verification forms. After records checks were completed, it was determined that between in or around March 2011 through in and around March 2012, Angel hired employees that were citizens of other countries and were in the United States illegally. Thereafter, Angel was interviewed and admitted to knowingly hiring five illegal aliens not authorized to work in the United States, during those periods.  

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dale Campion.

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