Thread: Fischer Site Raided Again For Illegal Workers

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Fischer Site Raided Again For Illegal Workers

LAST UPDATE: 8/23/2006 6:50:10 PM


It's been three months since federal authorities raided local construction sites for illegal workers, but apparently little has changed on those job sites. On May 9, federal investigators raided numerous Fischer Home Builders construction sites, arresting more than 90 illegal aliens. While that case continues in the federal courts, Local 12 has learned that just a few days ago, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement returned again to one of those same sites and arrested even more illegals. In this Exclusive story, Local 12's Rich Jaffe says Fischer continues to say they know nothing about illegals on their job sites.

On August 11, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up for the second time at the Tara Development in Boone County. According to the federal complaint, when they arrived at this intersection they observed what they believed to be illegal workers on this job site. Some were arrested, some ran, and were arrested later. Arrested for being in the country illegally were Juan Diciplina, Sapamandapio Hernandez, Pablo Tovar, and Angel Samano. Samano was deported once before two years ago. All clearly identify Fischer as their employer. At the time of the first raid, Fischer President Robert Hawksley said the illegals work for subcontractors, not Fischer.

"Fischer Homes utilizes a rigorous screening process for all of its employees, including citizenship verification...Fischer Homes does not in any way condone the hiring or use of illegal immigrants..."

In the initial raid, four Fischer supervisors, including Doug Witt were also indicted. The location raided this month is also Doug Witt's construction site. The job site where federal officials say a group of illegal construction workers was working is literally a stones throw away from the Fischer construction trailer where Doug Witt has his office. There's even a sign here that says clearly...only workers authorized to work in the United States are allowed to work on this job site. All others will be considered trespassing and will be subject to arrest, deportation and possible civil action. Today, while inside the trailer, Witt wasn't saying much.

"The point of this is you're already indicted...right...for employing...no comment...illlegal aliens...no thank you...the question is why are they still working on your job site?(door closes)."

Rich Jaffe, Local 12.

The public relations agency handling Fischer wouldn't let Bob Hawksley comment on camera regarding the ongoing problems on their job sites. They did however send us a prepared statement which reads in part...

"None of the four allegedly illegal immigrants who were arrested were employees of Fischer Homes."

They also point out that they have posted the signs you saw in Rich's story on their job sites, and say "all Fischer Homes' sub-contractors have certified in writing that they will only use workers eligible to work in the United States."

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/08/ ... ation.html

Four Undocumented Workers Indicted

Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
First posted: 8/23/2006 11:15:00 PM
Four employees of a Tri-state sub-contractor working at a Fischer Homes development in Northern Kentucky are under indictment as undocumented workers.

The arrests were made at a subdivision near Hebron a week-and-a-half ago, but, the indictments came to light on Wednesday.

Fischer Homes released a statement saying the subcontractor signed a document asserting that all its workers were legally in this country.

There's even a sign here that says clearly...only workers authorized to work in the United States are allowed to work on this job site.

But the signs were in English and even if they were in Spanish, a lot of illegals can not read.

Dixie

Americans that hire illegal aliens must lose their businesses and/or go to jail. We must start making examples of some of these folks.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 20391/1077
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Last Updated: 6:01 am | Saturday, September 2, 2006
Two from Fischer indicted
Six now stand accused of harboring and hiring illegal immigrants to build homes
BY JIM HANNAH | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
COVINGTON - Two additional Fischer Homes employees have been indicted as part of two-year federal investigation into the use of illegal immigrants to build houses.

This brings the total number of Fischer Homes employees indicted since May to six.

The new indictments are against construction superintendents Ronald Vanlandingham and David Schroeder. Each is charged with one count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The two will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Covington on Sept. 8.

A message left with the Crestview Hills home builder after the court hearing Friday afternoon was not returned, but company officials have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. They claim the illegal immigrants worked for subcontractors without their knowledge.

The new indictment says that the illegal immigrants worked on job sites that three Fischer employees supervised for more than a year, from February 2005 until May 2006. The original indictment against the three employees - Timothy Copsy, Douglas Witt and William Allison - said the illegal immigrants worked only on Jan. 24.

The sixth Fischer employee, William Ring, is still charged with aiding and abetting the harboring of illegal aliens only on Jan. 24.

Ring is scheduled to stand trial in U.S. District Court on Sept. 11, but Judge David Bunning postponed the trial of Copsy, Witt and Allison because of the new allegations.

They now will stand trial on Nov. 27 along with Vanlandingham and Schroeder. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBride predicted the trial would last one week.

Copsy's attorney, Gary Sergent, said he needs additional time to review the new evidence. McBride agreed, calling the evidence gathered by federal immigration officials "voluminous." Bunning characterized the case as "unusual and complicated."

The additional charges appear to be related to illegal immigrant Nelson Trejo, who is cooperating with federal prosecutors in exchange for a lighter sentence. Court papers state Trejo employed other illegal immigrants at his company, Trejo Brothers Construction, from March 2003 through May.

The new indictment states Copsy, a construction manager, used Trejo Brothers to frame condominiums in River's Breeze development in Ludlow and homes in the Tara at Plantation Pointe and Carters Mill subdivisions, both in Florence, and the Tree Tops development in Hebron.

Witt, Allison, Vanlandingham and Schroeder, all construction superintendents, authorized Trejo's crews to be paid for work on those developments, according to the indictment.

Witt's attorney, Lisa Bushelman, said her client was unlikely to reach a deal with prosecutors to avoid a trial. She said Witt still worked for Fischer, as do all the other defendants.

The investigation into illegal immigrants in Northern Kentucky became public in May when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers rounded up nearly 100 illegals in the predawn hours and raided the home builder's headquarters.

E-mail jhannah@nky.com
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http://news.kypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar ... 20332/1014

Saturday, September 2, 2006
New defendants in Fisher illegals case

By Paul A. Long
Post staff reporter


Federal prosecutors have added two defendants and appear to have gained a company insider in trying to prove that supervisors for Fischer Homes knowingly allowed illegal immigrants to work on home construction job sites.

A new indictment handed up late Thursday charged five supervisors for the Northern Kentucky home-building company with conspiring to harbor the illegal workers by providing them with jobs.

Conspicuously absent from the new indictment was William Ring, one of the original four supervisors charged in the case. That led to speculation during and after a hearing Friday in U.S. District Court in Covington that Ring is now cooperating with federal authorities.

"That would be a fair assessment," said Gary Sergent, the attorney for Timothy Copsy, who was re-indicted Thursday.

Lisa Osborne Bushelman, who represents Douglas Witt, another supervisor who was re-indicted, said she isn't sure what is going on behind the scenes but that she also believes Ring may be close to a deal.

"That would be my guess," she said, "but I'm not sure."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McBride would not comment Friday.

The fourth Fischer supervisor who was originally indicted, William Allison, was re-indicted. Two additional supervisors - Ronald Vanlandingham and David Schroeder - also now face charges in the case.

The new indictment says the five conspired with each other to provide illegal immigrants with jobs and shield them from detection. Specifically, it says, they "utilized, supervised, and authorized payment for construction crews run by Nelson Trejo, an undocumented alien, and comprised of other undocumented aliens."

Trejo has previously pleaded guilty to charges and agreed to testify for the government.

The supervisors face up to 10 years in prison each.

Copsy, Witt, and Allison pleaded not guilty Friday. Vanlandingham and Schroeder are scheduled to be in court next week.

Signs were everywhere on Friday that Ring's case has been separated from the other four. Normally, when federal authorities obtain what's called a superceding indictment, the original case is dismissed. When U.S. District Judge David Bunning asked if that would be happening, though, it led to a lengthy and private discussion in front of the bench.

During the discussion, Ring's attorney, Dean Pisacano, did most of the talking, and attorneys for the others looked on shaking their heads, or with a look of disgust on their faces. Meanwhile, Ring sat apart from and never looked at his three co-defendants, who sat in a row at the defense table.

Afterward, Ring stayed in the courtroom as the other three left.

Pisacano declined to comment.

"I'll be able to discuss something with you when the original indictment is dismissed," he said, adding: "It should be soon."

Bunning ruled that he would not dismiss the charge against Ring and said he would keep Ring's Sept. 11 trial date - unless something changed between now and then. The others will stand trial Nov. 7, Bunning ruled.

Tim Schneider, who represents Fischer Homes, sat in the courtroom during the hearing, clearly showing his agitation at the new developments. Afterward, he spoke to several defense attorneys but said he was unable to learn precisely what was happening.

"At this point, I'm not certain of the status, except that Mr. Ring is still scheduled for trial," he said. "At that time, we'll ascertain what we learn."

After the hearing, he said he planned to discuss the situation with Fischer officials. He said Ring will remain on the job, although he did not work Friday.

"He's still working for us," he said. "From our perspective, he's a Fischer Homes employee and will remain so."

The original four supervisors were arrested in May when agents from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement raided several Fischer Homes worksites in Boone County after a two-year investigation. Close to 100 people were arrested.

ICE said that 93 of those arrested were Mexican or Central American nationals charged with being in the United States illegally, and most of them have pleaded guilty to that misdemeanor charge and face deportation.

ICE said Monday that 36 Mexican nationals were deported last week, bringing to 59 the total of those returned home. Another 22, convicted as illegal aliens, remain under court supervision as potential material witnesses in other cases.