300 NOW CONVICTED AND SENTENCED FOLLOWING MAY ARRESTS IN POSTVILLE
Convictions Come From Largest Criminal Worksite Enforcement Operation in U.S. History

United States Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth announced today that 300 of the 389 people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on May 12, 2008, at Agriprocessors, Inc. in Postville, Iowa, have now pled guilty and been sentenced on federal felony charges.

“Based on the number of criminal convictions, this is the largest criminal worksite enforcement operation ever in the United States,” said Dummermuth.

By May 22, 2008, 297 of those defendants had been sentenced. Since then, three other defendants – Olena Chehovska, 59, from Ukraine; Nehemias DeMatta-Popol, 23, from Guatemala; and Reynaldo Lopez-Nunez, 28, from Mexico – have pled guilty and been sentenced to 5 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release for use of false identification to obtain employment after admitting the use of an actual person’s identity.

A fourth defendant, Osbaldo Lopez-Becerra, 25, from Mexico, has pled guilty to two criminal charges and is awaiting sentencing.

Four other cases, including two filed this week, are pending. As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The criminal convictions have resulted in the following dispositions:

• 233 defendants sentenced to 5 months’ prison and 3 years’ supervision for use of false identification to obtain employment after admitting the use of an actual person’s identity;

• 30 defendants sentenced to 5 months’ prison and 3 years’ supervision for false use of social security number or card after admitting the use of an actual person’s social security number;

• 8 defendants sentenced to 5 months’ prison and 1 year supervision for illegal reentry to the United States;

• 2 defendants sentenced to 12 months’ and a day prison and 3 years’ supervision for use of false identification to obtain employment after admitting the use of an actual person’s identity;

• 21 defendants sentenced to 5 years’ probation for use of false identification to obtain employment where identification did not belong to an actual person;

• 2 defendants sentenced to 5 years’ probation for false use of social security number or card where number did not belong to an actual person; and

• 4 defendants sentenced to 5 years’ probation for illegal reentry to the United States.

The investigation led by ICE is ongoing. Other agencies that have assisted in the investigation include the United States Postal Inspection Service; Iowa Department of Public Safety; Iowa Department of Transportation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations; and United States Department of Labor.