Owner of Saga Restaurants Charged with Harboring and Transporting Illegal Aliens

PITTSBURGH – A local restaurateur has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of harboring and transporting illegal aliens, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today.

The two-count indictment, returned on Dec. 6, and unsealed today, named Xing Zheng Lin, aka Steve Lin, age 44, of McKees Rocks, Pa., as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment presented to the Court, from in and around 2009, until on or about Jan. 10, 2014, Lin harbored and transported illegal aliens who were employed at Saga Restaurant in Monroeville, Robinson, and Bethel Park, all of which were owned by Lin.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence at each count of not more than 10 years in prison for each alien, a fine of $250,000 for each alien or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Shardul S. Desai is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.