Company Ex-President Pleads Guilty to Hiring, Harboring Illegal Aliens
Francesco Insolia, the former owner of a New Bedford Mass. manufacturing company, yesterday pled guilty to helping harbor and conceal illegal aliens by allowing the company to submit false Social Security numbers for employees under Federal government contracts. As part of the plea agreement, Insolia will serve a jail term of up to 18 months and pay a fine of $30,000. A worksite enforcement operation at the company last year resulted in the detention of over 361 illegal aliens.
Michael Bianco Inc., his former company, received $230 million in contracts over the last five years for making military backpacks and other equipment for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The company itself pled guilty to eighteen counts of knowingly hiring illegal aliens; helping to harbor and shield illegal aliens from detection; fraudulently misrepresenting Social Security numbers; and committing mail fraud. It will pay a fine of about $1.5 million. Two former company managers also pled guilty a few weeks ago to continuing to employ illegal workers after the company had reason to know they were illegal.
In a related ICE news release, U.S. Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said, "Our nation is rich with opportunities and it is no wonder that people from around the globe seek to come here to work and live. The defendants' conduct in this case undermines our nations principles of freedom and the integrity of our immigration system, placing legally operating businesses at a competitive disadvantage."
Julie L. Myers, Homeland Secretary Assistant Secretary for ICE, said "Employers who knowingly hire an illegal workforce exploit illegal aliens, take jobs away from legal workers and gain an unfair advantage over their competitors…It is not okay for business owners to line their pockets by breaking the law. The pleas today reflect the type of employer ICE targets during our worksite enforcement investigations."