Former Swift union rep guilty of harboring illegal workers
Associated Press - May 8, 2008 4:34 PM ET

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - A former union representative has been found guilty in federal court of harboring illegal immigrants working at a Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Marshalltown.

Braulio Pereyra-Gabino was found not guilty of other charges, including false use of a Social Security number and aggravated identity theft.

He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the harboring charge.

Pereyra-Gabino was working as vice president of Local 1149 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union when he was arrested by federal immigration officials in July 2007.

Prosecutors contend that he told undocumented workers how to escape detection and protect their fake identities used to get jobs at the Marshalltown plant.

Pereyra-Gabino's attorney declined to comment on Thursday's verdict.

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