Worksite Enforcement Operation Leads to Five Criminal Arrests and More than 50 Administratively Detained Aliens

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Federal law enforcement officers detained 57 illegally present aliens at their place of illegal employment in Cayuga County, New York, on September 4. Five of them have been charged by criminal complaint with illegally reentering the United States after a prior removal. They are:

• Alex Ben Chipin, a/k/a Alex Ben-Chiping, a/k/a Alex Bing-Chiping, a/k/a Antonio Lopez-Mendez, age 39, of Guatemala;
• Argentina Juarez-Lopez, age 50, of Guatemala;
• Luis Jom-Morales, age 27, of Guatemala;
• Gregorio Baldemar Ramirez-Perez, age 45, of Guatemala; and
• Francisco Salvardo-Mora, age 22, of Mexico.

Each defendant is charged separately. The charges in the complaints are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The remaining 52 aliens were detained administratively pending immigration proceedings.

The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III; Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Buffalo Field Office; Acting Chief Patrol Agent James P. D’Amato, United States Border Patrol, Buffalo Sector; and Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), New York Field Division

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said, “These defendants face charges arising out of one of the largest worksite enforcement actions in recent history. Employers across the Northern District of New York must understand that they risk criminal investigation if they are employing non-citizens who are not authorized to work in the United States. Across Upstate and Central New York, there are hard-working Americans in need of well-paying jobs, especially in Cayuga County where unemployment is relatively high. Our worksite enforcement actions will ensure that those jobs go to people who are authorized to work in the United States, and not to aliens who illegally re-enter our country after prior deportations.”

Erin Keegan, Special Agent in Charge, HSI Buffalo, stated, “Today’s announcement underscores the continued coordination of law enforcement partners with the goal of uncovering possibly dangerous or abusive business practices and, in turn, protecting the public from labor exploitation. While this continues to be an active and ongoing criminal investigation, HSI remains committed to protecting the rights of workers and upholding U.S. laws, including by identifying and addressing exploitation in the workplace, ensuring compliance with labor and immigration laws, and safeguarding the integrity of our nation's workforce.”

Harry T. Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-CI New York, stated, “IRS-CI has a long history of collaborating with our law enforcement partners, and worksite enforcement operations are no different.  Businesses are expected to apply good employment practices in hiring their workforce in accordance with U.S. laws and reporting payroll and other related financials appropriately.  IRS-CI will continue to use their financial expertise in furthering these types of investigations.”

The charges filed against the five defendants listed above carry a maximum term of 2 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 1 year.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

HSI, Border Patrol, and IRS-CI are investigating the cases with investigative and/or operational assistance from various agencies including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the United States Marshals Service, the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Perry is prosecuting the cases.