Thread: Fischer Homes Raided By Agents In Northern Kentucky

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 077/NEWS01

Last Updated: 7:05 am | Thursday, May 11, 2006
Search for 'killer' led to arrests
Deputy gathered evidence of illegal workers
BY JIM HANNAH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
CRESTVIEW HILLS - A Boone County sheriff's deputy infiltrated a Fischer Homes development by pretending to be tracking a killer from Texas.

When he gained the trust of a construction manager, that man admitted half the workers at a Florence development were illegal aliens, according to federal court documents released Wednesday.

The construction manager, Timothy Copsy, and three of his co-workers - Doug Witt, William Allison and Bill Ring - each were charged this week with one count of harboring illegal aliens for commercial advantage or private financial gain. Seventy-six suspected illegal aliens were arrested and charged with entering the country illegally.

The four Fischer employees, who each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, will appear in U.S. District Court in Covington on May 19 for a preliminary hearing. The next hearing for the majority of the people arrested on charges of entering the country illegally will be May 24, the first step in a long process to deport the alleged illegal aliens.

SUBCONTRACTORS IMPLICATED

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent James Bellamy's affidavit ties Fischer Homes to the subcontractor who hired and employed the alleged illegal aliens. The affidavit states the subcontractor, Robert Pratt, also provided housing across Northern Kentucky for the alleged illegal immigrants.

Pratt, whose home address couldn't be confirmed Wednesday, has not been charged with a crime and could not be reached for comment.

Pratt used his companies - Progressive Builders and Pratt's Quality Construction - to try to provide a buffer between Fischer Homes and the immigrants who labored on homes under construction, the affidavit states. Bellamy said the sub-contractors and subsidiaries were just a ruse.

All the work was coordinated by Fischer supervisors who communicated directly with Pratt, the affidavit states.

"This is also an important indicator that Fischer has knowledge that ... Pratt and his construction companies are used to provide a layer between Fischer and the illegal alien subcontractors and workers," Bellamy wrote. "However, this layer does not relieve Fischer of the responsibility to ensure that their contractors are employing a legal workforce."

Both of Pratt's companies are registered with the Kentucky Secretary of State, with offices at 7529 Sussex Drive in Florence.

FISCHER DEFENDS PRACTICES

While no one answered the door Wednesday afternoon at Pratt's two companies, Fischer Homes President Robert Hawksley called a press conference on the doorstep of his company headquarters in Crestview Hills.

"Fischer Homes utilizes a rigorous screening process for all of its employees, including citizenship verification," he said while reading from a prepared statement. "We require all subcontractors to sign a comprehensive document that warrants and represents they will use no illegal immigrant as employees."

Fischer marketing director Russ Beymer said the 76 suspected illegal aliens arrested were only a "small percentage" of subcontractors building their homes. Hawksley said it's "business as usual."

He said Copsy, Witt, Allison and Ring, who were released from custody on their own recognizance, all reported for work Wednesday.

"We also are in the process of calling all of our customers to let them know we're moving forward," he said. "I want to reassure our customers and those who work with us every day that we are completely operational and fully expect to honor all of our commitments."

E-mail jhannah@nky.com

http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 10341/1014

Thursday, May 11, 2006
Hispanics here gripped by fear

Post staff report

The arrests of 76 suspected illegal immigrants in Northern Kentucky on Tuesday prompted "Juan" - the only name he would give during an interview - to head for the woods.

"I stayed there one full day, from morning until the next morning, without anything to eat or drink," said the 23-year-old Guatemalan, who lives in Boone County. He spoke in Spanish that was translated into English by Gil Esparza of the Hispanic Resource Center in Covington.

"The reason for me hiding was fear," said Juan. "We're Hispanics, and we're always scared of what can happen." Esparza said Juan is a legal resident because he is sponsored by an employer. But despite seven years working here, Juan is not sure of his status.

"I don't know if I am here legally because I don't understand this process," he said. "I fear that if they pick me up, they will treat me like an animal."

Immigrants and people who help them say the roundup of alleged illegal immigrants has spread fear throughout the Northern Kentucky Hispanic community, which is estimated by the Hispanic Resource Center to total 15,000 people.

Even legal immigrants are frightened by the highly publicized mass arrest of suspected illegal immigrants, said Cincinnati immigration attorney Lea Webb, who formerly worked for Northern Kentucky Legal Aid and whose clients are mostly immigrants living in Northern Kentucky.

"When all of this is on the news and authorities are picking up such large numbers of people, a legal immigrant might perceive that someone would think they are illegal," said Webb.

"You are afraid of those prejudices. They work against you even though they shouldn't. I would be afraid to be brown and drive through Butler County even though I was a U.S. citizen," she said in reference to crackdowns on illegal immigrants there.

Rev. Edgar Morales of the Northern Kentucky Baptist Association said the roundup of suspected illegal immigrants has prompted widespread fear because he estimates 80 percent of what he terms "non-professional common people" in the Northern Kentucky Hispanic community are here illegally.

"It's really difficult to get a visa, that's why the number is so high," he said. "They came in order to work, and they are very productive workers."

Morales said the Hispanic community reaction to the arrests has been "fear, frustration and sadness. That is how they are feeling right now. Most of them are really scared."

A man originally from Mexico who lives in Campbell County and used only the name "Jose" said the raid has caused him to worry that his wife and children will be taken away while he is at work.

"When I come home, I don't know if I will find my family there or if they will be gone," he said. "I have two children who were born here in Kentucky and are citizens, and I have three children who came with me from Mexico.

"Because my family in total is not all legalized citizens, I have a fear of my family being broken apart. I am very, very confused."

Like Juan, Jose is unsure of his legal status. "My residency is in process, but I am not a legal citizen," he said. Esparza said "the process has been started" to make Jose a citizen.

Esparza said Juan had no reason to hide out because he's obtained the documents to be in the U.S. legally.

"I know because we helped him do his paperwork. He's protected. He can't be deported," Esparza said. "Yet he's hiding in the woods all night long because he's afraid he will be deported."

Esparza said he got a call from Juan's employer Wednesday, who told him that that day was the first Juan had missed at work in four years.

Webb, the immigration attorney, said she has had "lots of calls from families torn apart" by Tuesday's roundup. "Bond is very unlikely to be set for those arrested and they want to be with their wives and children," she said.

Morales, the minister who helps Hispanics, said the wife of one man who was arrested is pregnant and will deliver a baby in a month.

Webb said the arrests will cause immigrants to become even more afraid of police and other people in positions of authority.

"Immigrants are going to be terrified of authority," she said. "They're going to be afraid to call police to report crimes."

Webb said even people who work for agencies that help Hispanics are feeling intimidated.

"We've gotten calls from service providers asking, 'If I talk to this person, am I going to be arrested?'" she said. "I advise them to continue doing their job."

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll ... /605120341

Feds: Suspect organized illegals

By Paul Long
Post staff reporter

One of the men arrested in this week's crackdown on suspected illegal workers is a naturalized citizen from Mexico who helped bring his once-deported brother and other Mexicans into the United States, transporting them from his California home to Northern Kentucky to work, according to court documents.

The suspect, Ruben Trejo-Soto, acted as something of a coordinator, housing groups of Mexicans in apartments he rented in the area, according to an affidavit filed by James Bellamy, a senior special agent with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Bellamy's affidavit outlines how Trejo-Soto worked as a contractor for Robert Pratt and his construction companies. Pratt, in turn, was a contractor for Fischer Homes, said the affidavit, which claims a link between Fischer Homes and the illegal workers.

Trejo-Soto - sometimes referred to as Ruben Trejo - was one of 76 Hispanics arrested Tuesday at raids on Fischer Homes construction sites in Boone County, Ky. He is being held without bond on a charge of providing employment to undocumented workers.

The raids were the result of a two-year investigation into the use and employment of illegal immigrants.

Most of the arrested are from Mexico or Guatemala and charged with the misdemeanor of being in the United States illegally. All face deportment.

But Trejo-Soto's brother, Jose, is accused of a felony - re-entering the United States after being deported in 2002.

Both brothers pleaded not guilty this week during the arraignments in U.S. District Court in Covington. On Thursday a federal grand jury returned four-count indictments against the pair.

"Ruben Trejo and others are providing undocumented alien laborers for construction work at Fischer Homes," Bellamy said. "Fischer Homes construction crews are now composed of illegal workers."

Four supervisors with Fischer Homes have been charged with hiring illegal immigrants. They pleaded not guilty Tuesday, were released on bond, and are back working for the company. Pratt was charged Wednesday with a similar crime, and is being held without bond.

The charges against those five men are felonies, with a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Fischer Homes President Robert T. Hawksley issued statements Tuesday and Wednesday, saying his company has done nothing wrong.

He said contractors and subcontractors must sign a statement saying they comply with all hiring laws, including immigrations laws.

Bellamy's affidavit said Trejo-Soto has lived in the United States since 1989, and became a citizen in 1995.

His brother Jose was deported in 2002 after being convicted of making a false claim on his passport application.

"Jose Trejo-Soto indicated that he was smuggled into the United States and traveled to Van Nuys, California, to his brother's house and then to Florence in 1998 to take a construction job," Bellamy said.

An apartment lease Ruben Trejo-Soto signed in June 2004 said he worked for Pratt's Quality Construction, owned by Robert Pratt. Trejo-Soto also has his own company, R&J Framing Inc.

"Ruben Trejo-Soto stated that he has 10 employees working for him, and stated that some of them are illegally in the United States," Bellamy said.

"Ruben Trejo-Soto also indicated that he had workers that lived in two other apartment buildings in (redacted) Apartments,'' the affidavit said. "He went on to state that his company does work for Fischer Homes."

http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S ... 7&nav=0zHF

Fischer Homes Says Homes Will Be Ready
May 11, 2006 06:54 AM PDT


A local Tri-State homebuilder says that an immigration raid will not slow down their construction of new homes.

Fischer Homes says that despite Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have put 76 of their sub-contract workers behind bars.

On Tuesday, those workers were arrested as a part of an illegal immigrant roundup in Boone County. Federal Agents then raided the homebuilders headquarters in Crestview Hills.

In a statement Fischer's CEO Robert Hawksley said:

First, I wanted to reiterate several comments I made yesterday. Fischer Homes is a reputable home builder with strong morals and values. We want to thank our customers, subcontractors, and suppliers who have called to offer their encouragement and support.

We have been building quality homes in the tri-state area for more than 25 years. We have a great team of people who share in our philosophy and help to make us a great organization. We have earned our position as the number one builder in Cincinnati. We are proud of our employees, our company and our customer satisfaction record. We work hard to earn it – every day.

In fact, this morning we’ve met with all of our employees, and we communicated with all of our subcontractors to reaffirm their contractual commitments and our expectations. We are making a copy of our communication to them available to you, as well as a copy of the standard agreement so you can see the detail and the expectations we have of each of our subcontractors.

We also are in the process of calling all of our customers to let them know we’re moving forward. I want to reassure our customers and those who work with us every day that we are completely operational and fully expect to honor all of our commitments. It is business as usual.

I also wanted to reiterate several comments I made yesterday.

Fischer Homes utilizes a rigorous screening process for all of its employees, including citizenship verification. We require all subcontractors to sign a comprehensive document that warrants and represents they will use no illegal immigrants as employees.

Fischer Homes does not, in any way, condone the hiring or use of illegal immigrants. We support all governmental employment regulations, and we stand by our hiring procedures. We are proud of our Fischer Homes team, and we will continue to operate according to the legal and ethical traditions we have established.

We continue to work with the authorities to get the facts. Until we do, we may not be able to get into every detail. However, we will continue to update you as we have additional information.

Thank you.

FOX19 News continues to follow this story and will have the latest as it becomes available.

http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 20388/1014

Friday, May 12, 2006
Jury indicts 20 people in immigrant probe

By Paul A. Long
Post staff reporter

A federal grand jury meeting in Covington indicted 20 people Thursday as part of a crackdown on the use of illegal immigrants in the construction industry in Northern Kentucky.

Those indicted include four supervisors of Fisher Homes, several contractors who provided labor for the home-building company, and a number of illegal aliens who had previously been deported or used phony identification cards.

The indictments say the various defendants not only provided jobs, but also often living arrangements for the illegal workers.

Here's a closer look at the nine separate indictments handed up by the grand jury, which met in a special session that lasted late into the afternoon Thursday.

The four Fischer Homes supervisors - Douglas Witt, Timothy Copsy, William Allison and William Ring - were indicted in on charges of harboring known illegal immigrants for commercial advantage and private financial gain.

Named in a four-count indictment were Robert Pratt, Howard Pratt, Jacqueline Pratt, Josefino Moreno, Francisco Rojo, Jose Trejo-Soto, Ruben Trejo, Alfredo Medina-Mejia and Luciano Salazar.

The indictment says Robert Pratt ran Progressive Builders and Quality Construction; Josefino Moreno ran HPF Inc., and Jacqueline Pratt ran HJP Construction. They in turn provided money to Francisco Rojo, Jose Trejo-Soto and Ruben Trejo, Alfredo Medina-Mejia and Luciano Salazar to hire and pay the illegal immigrants. Pratt also provided apartments, the indictment alleges.

Francisco Castro-Gonzalez, Juan Acosta-Martinez, and Lorenzo Rojo-Hernandez were charged with possessing forged permanent resident alien cards and having illegally entered the United States.

Marco Aguilar-Rodriguez, also known as Marco Aguilar-Rodriquez, and Jaime Diaz Garcia are charged with entering the United States illegally after being deported.

Nelson Trejo and Humberto T. Trejo were charged with harboring illegal immigrants by providing them jobs and a place to live.

All except Aguilar-Rodriguez and Diaz Garcia face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. The latter two men face up to two years in prison.

An affidavit filed by James Bellamy, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, indicated that he and Boone County Sheriff's Department deputies used a subterfuge to get the Fischer supervisors to help in the probe.