RANCHO PENASQUITOS: Car wash owners charged with harboring illegal immigrants

By BRANDON LOWREY blowrey@nctimes.com
Posted: Thursday, October 13, 2011 7:00 pm

Two Koreans who allegedly staffed their Rancho Penasquitos car wash with illegal immigrants were arraigned in federal court Thursday afternoon on charges of conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants, authorities said.

On Wednesday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided Betty's Hand Car Wash at 9821 Carmel Mountain Road following a nearly eight-month investigation. They arrested owners Ju Hea Kim, 54, and Sun Jae Lee, 51, along with 10 employees who were suspected of being in the country illegally.

Federal court documents detailed the agency's case against the business, which began with a tip in June 2010. Agents followed up on March 1, 2011, and inspected workers' documentation.

On March 18, agents arrested two employees and continued their investigation.

A "cooperative witness" who had previously worked at the car wash agreed to meet with the business owners wearing an electronic recording device, the criminal complaint said. The two agreed to pay the informant under the table and urged him or her to obtain a new Social Security number.

Another witness who also worked there, and was in the United States illegally, expressed concern to Lee that he and his co-workers could be deported because federal authorities were investigating the business, the complaint said.

"To that Sun Jae Lee laughed and told (the witness) that they could just come back and resume employment after being deported," the complaint said.

The document said the business owners had told their employees to change their names and obtain new false documents to throw off federal officials.

If convicted, Lee and Kim face up to five years in federal prison and fines of up to $250,000.

Call staff writer Brandon Lowrey at 760-740-3517 or follow him on Twitter @NCTLowrey.​

http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/poway ... z1aiyPJExB