IRS, DHS, ICE Raid Businesses

Owners of Chuy's restaurants in AZ, CA, indicted

Updated: Wednesday, 20 Apr 2011, 2:42 PM MDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 Apr 2011, 12:17 PM MDT

PHOENIX - The owners of a restaurant chain with locations in Arizona and California have been indicted on suspicion of hiring illegal immigrants and tax evasion.

Federal agents raided 15 Chuy's Mesquite Broiler restaurants on Wednesday in both states and served 20 search warrants.

Arizona locations included 7th Street and Greenway, 32nd Street and Indian School and Cave Creek Road and Cactus.

Immigration Customs Enforcement spokesman Vincent Picard says they detained about 40 suspected illegal immigrants who were working at the restaurants.

The father and son owners of the chain of about 20 restaurants and a company accountant were arrested on a 19-count indictment.

The owners were identified as 58-year-old Mark Evenson of Paradise Valley and his son, 39-year-old Christopher Evenson of Oro Valley.

"For nearly two years, these defendants are alleged to have knowingly dodged hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes in order to maintain an illegal workforce," said U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke. "That deceitful practice, which hurts all law-abiding tax payers and employers must stop. There should be no place in our economy for employers who cynically exploit and defy the U.S. tax code to take advantage of illegal labor."

According to the indictment, the Evensons hired illegal immigrants for company's kitchen operations. Those who were authorized to work in the U.S. were hired as servers or in other restaurant jobs.

It's alleged that the illegal workers were paid off the books with no taxes withheld or reported to the I.R.S. Authorized workers received payment using normal payroll.

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/bu ... s-04202011