Premium ContentClick on Premium Content on the Featured navigation bar for information.
COUNCIL BLUFFS — The owner of a chain of thrift stores will serve three years of probation for hiring illegal immigrants.
Daryl Leise, 40, pleaded guilty to reckless disregard in the hiring of undocumented workers at his company, American Clothing Co., 3211 Nebraska Ave., U.S. Attorney Matthew G. Whitaker announced Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge James E. Gritzner also ordered Leise to forfeit $50,000 to the United States, pursuant to the terms of a plea agreement, and pay an assessment of $100 to the Crime Victim Fund.
On April 3, 2008, Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers executed a search warrant at American Clothing Co. and seized records related to illegal immigrants working at that facility. Some workers were taken into custody.
A federal investigation found that some American Clothing Co. employees were using Social Security numbers that were in use by others in the U.S. Two workers were using the Social Security numbers of people who had died.
The company gathered donations from collection boxes, many of which were labeled as VFW boxes. Investigators said undocumented workers sorted donations for resale.
The clothes were distributed to one of the company's five metro area Thrift World stores or sent to Guatemala or Honduras, documents indicate.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
