http://www.khou.com/news/local/crime/st ... 108ac.html

Houston restaurant owner accused of smuggling immigrants

02:31 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 22, 2005

From 11 News Staff Reports

A Houston restaurant owner and his family are in trouble with the feds. Hin Khai "Papa" Phu has been smuggling illegal immigrants into Houston to work at his restaurants for far below minimum wage, according to a 19-count indictment unsealed Wednesday

The indictment also named other members of Phu's family including his wife, Kiu Tai "Mama" Phu, his son, Alan Phu and Alan's wife, Lisa Phu.

All four suspects were arrested Wednesday morning by federal agents.

"Businesses that willfully violate our immigration laws and exploit undocumented aliens to seek an unfair advantage in the free enterprise system provide a means and incentive to those who profit in the reckless smuggling of human life, " said First Assistant United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle. "This combined law enforcement effort underscores the commitment of this office to secure a system of free enterprise that operates within the law and as a reminder that human trafficking will not be tolerated."

The investigation of the Phus and their three Chinese Wok restaurants began with the filing of a child labor complaint back in August 2001. The complaint alleged a minor had worked at two of the Chinese Wok restaurants an average of 60 hours per week for four weeks and was paid only $125 for four weeks of work. The salary amounted to less than 52 cents an hour. The minimum wage in the United States is $5.15 an hour.

According to the allegations, The Phus staffed the family's restaurants with Mexican nationals who the Phu family had enticed to illegally enter into the United States and were smuggled into the country with the help of coyotes. The coyotes were allegedly paid from $1,300 to $1,500 per employee.

Up to six of the smuggled workers at a time were allegedly housed in a dormitory-style room equipped with three bunk beds at the Houston residence of Alan and Lisa Phu, who then lived next door to "Papa" and "Mama" Phu.

According to allegations in the indictment, Alan Phu and his father gave the smuggled workers detailed rules regarding their accommodations, including prohibitions against using the house telephone, restricting their use of the house to the dormitory, kitchen and bathroom; and forbidding them to leave the house at will. During their "off days," the workers were required to clean the Phus' residences and did yard work around their houses.

The workers threatened with arrest and deportation if they complained.

"Exploiting workers for personal gain is abhorrent. By smuggling individuals into this country, and exploiting their illegal status, these defendants are accused of not only violating the law, but of having crossed the boundary of human decency," said The Honorable Gordon S. Heddell, Inspector General, with the United States Department of Labor. "We are committed to working closely with other law enforcement agencies to combat the abuse of workers in this country."

"Alien smugglers from around the world have continually demonstrated their greed and disregard for human life, which is a dangerous combination," said Robert Rutt, Special Agent-in-Charge of the ICE Houston Office of Investigations. "The public can help us by reporting suspicious activity to our toll-free hotline at: 1-866-DHS-2ICE.

The three Chinese Wok restaurants are located at 5158 Aldine Mail Road and 4050 Aldine Mail Road in Houston and 109 Magnolia Street in League City.