ICE Probe of Nevada McDonald’s Franchisee Results in Guilty Pleas by Local Corporation and Current and Former Executives on Immigration Charges
WASHINGTON — (July 16, 2008)One current and one former top executive for a franchisee that owns 11 McDonald’s restaurants in and around Reno, Nev., and the corporation itself pleaded guilty in federal court in Las Vegas today to federal felony immigration offenses for encouraging illegal aliens to reside in the United States. These charges stem from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into allegations the company knowingly hired illegal alien workers. U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada Gregory A. Brower and Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE Julie L. Myers announced the plea agreements, which are the latest developments in an ICE probe that began in March 2007 after the agency received a tip about a possible incidence of identity theft from the sheriff’s office in Lyon County, Nev. In a hearing this morning in Las Vegas before U.S. District Court Judge James Mahan, attorneys for Mack Associates Inc., which owns the Reno-area...