Friday, April 24, 2009, 10:10am EDT
Duluth man convicted of immigration crimes

A Duluth, Ga., employment agency operator was found guilty late Thursday of giving illegal aliens jobs in area restaurants for a fee.

Liang Yang, 37, was found guilty of conspiring to transport, harbor and induce illegal aliens to remain in the United States. He was indicted in April 2008 with 10 other employment agency owners and individuals who transported the illegal workers to their jobs. He is the only defendant to go to trial.

Defendants in three related cases are being sentenced on April 28.

Evidence at trial showed employment agencies at 3425 Chamblee Dunwoody Road were often one of the first stops for illegal Hispanic workers. The agencies were all run by Chinese individuals, some of whom were also illegally here.

Yang was fluent in Spanish and two Chinese dialects and he served as the broker between the illegal workers and Chinese restaurants looking for cheap labor. Yang was able to place illegal workers in jobs in Chinese restaurants and also provide the illegal worker transportation to the restaurant without any initial payment by the worker. The transportation fee and Yang’s commission would be paid up-front by the restaurant owner, who would then deduct that cost from the wages paid to the worker. Yang could make hundreds of dollars off the placement of each illegal worker. Yang had previously operated an employment agency at this same location in 2001-2002 and had established a reputation as a successful businessman and source of cheap labor.

Yang now faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for July 8.


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