Ind. restaurant owner admits illegal hiring
The Associated Press
04/21/2010
SOUTH BEND, Ind.—A northern Indiana restaurant owner who employed four Mexican immigrants killed in a 2006 house fire has pleaded guilty to federal charges of concealing illegal immigrants.
Zhi Jian Jiang, 40, of Sacramento, Calif., faces up to three years in prison under a plea agreement with prosecutors. His sentencing was scheduled for July 12.
Jiang pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court in South Bend to charges that he hired illegal immigrants from Mexico. None of the charges is related to the Aug. 13, 2006, fire or the deaths.
The blaze broke out around 3:30 a.m. inside a Michigan City house that was near the Fortune House Chinese restaurant where the men worked.
Investigators found mattresses inside closets of the two-story home, and there appeared to be makeshift rooms with spots for about 12 to 15 people to sleep. Authorities aren't sure how many people were in the house when the fire broke out. Witnesses reported seeing some people leave the house.
Officials treated the fire as suspicious after a dog trained to sniff accelerants detected what could have been combustible liquids, but there was no record of any charges being filed. Investigators determined the fire began on the back porch.
No smoke detectors were found in the house.
The victims were identified as Felipe Bustamante Salgoto, 31; Roberto Jiamez Melquiadez, 26; Metodio Reyes Aparicio, 23; and Azael Jiminez Martinez, 23.
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