Three Mexican nationals—Luis Miguel Campos-Reyes, Isaac Fernandez-Lopez, and Marco Antonio Guzman—were arrested and face federal charges this week after local, state, and federal law enforcement raided multiple Mexican restaurants across Alabama on Tuesday.
Campos-Reyes and Fernandez-Lopez were each charged with harboring and unlawfully employing aliens, an offense punishable by up to one year in prison. Guzman was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
An indictment or criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies executed search warrants at multiple Mexican restaurants across the River Region and Auburn on Tuesday as part of a paycheck protection program loan program fraud investigation. Authorities also detained 40 illegal aliens.
Cesar Campos-Reyes pleaded not guilty on Friday in federal court to four counts of bank fraud and four counts of wire fraud and money laundering for paycheck protection program loans he received for some of his restaurants.
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