Thread: Man charged with harboring illegal Chinese immigrants in McK

Man charged with harboring illegal Chinese immigrants in McKees Rocks
By Jason Cato
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, January 11, 2008


Federal authorities today charged a Chinese national who owns a thriving McKees Rock-based Chinese food supply business with harboring illegal aliens.
Bao Ping Zheng, 39, of Ohio Township has been in federal custody on immigration violations since September, said his attorney, Martin Dietz. The U.S. Attorney's Office this afternoon filed a criminal complaint against Zheng, marking the first public notice of his legal troubles.

Prosecutors accused Zheng of knowingly hiring illegal Chinese workers from a New York employment agency to work at his New Chinatown/NBT Trucking on Island Avenue. A two-year federal investigation revealed that Zheng, himself an illegal immigrant, hired at least six such employees and paid them cash without reporting their income.

"His actions were born out of necessity rather than a desire to fill our country with illegal aliens," Dietz said. "It's a legitimate, thriving business. It really is."

Zheng told investigators that he hired the illegal workers because he couldn't find enough legal workers to satisfy the needs of his business, according to a five-page sworn statement from an agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
The illegal employees lived in two McKees Rocks houses purchased by Zheng, as well as inside a warehouse on New Chinatown's Island Avenue property. Federal agents said they interviewed one illegal worker who said he shared a room in the warehouse with three other workers.

Zheng entered the United States illegally in 1993, flying into John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City, Dietz said. Zheng is divorced and has twin 15-year-old daughters.

In addition to the food trucking business, Zheng also owns New Chinatown LLC, New Chinatown Realty and New Chinatown Trading, according to the affidavit.



Jason Cato can be reached at jcato@tribweb.com or 412-320-7840.


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Can we seize all his assets?????????????????????????

Jailed illegal's holdings near $1M
By Jason Cato
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, January 15, 2008

An illegal immigrant charged with harboring aliens from his native China owns nearly $1 million in Allegheny County property -- including his Stowe Chinese restaurant supply business and his Ohio Township home, government records show.

There is no federal law barring illegal immigrants from owning real estate or businesses, and most state or local governments never ask for proof of legal status in real estate or business transactions. That angers those fighting for changes to U.S. immigration laws.

"There are all sorts of things governments could do, but they've just chosen not to," said Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington. "These are the sorts of things that make it easier for people to stay here illegally."

An illegal immigrant can run a business in the United States without too many obstacles, said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington.

"We've actually made it pretty easy to do business as an illegal alien -- a lot easier than most people think," Krikorian said.

Bao Ping Zheng, 39, of Ohio Township made an initial appearance Monday before U.S. Magistrate Robert C. Mitchell in Pittsburgh. Zheng is charged with knowingly employing seven workers who were in the United States illegally or lacked authorization to work.

Prosecutors said Zheng is in the country illegally. He has been in federal custody at the Allegheny County Jail since September, said his lawyer, Martin Dietz.

Other than being in the United States illegally since 1993 and hiring illegal workers from a New York-based employment agency, Zheng's main business -- New Chinatown/NBT Trucking LLC -- and its subsidiaries are legitimate, Dietz said.

Zheng paid federal income taxes, but that alone probably wouldn't have tripped alarms.

The Internal Revenue Service only monitors whether people in the United States pay their fair share in taxes, not whether they are here legally, said IRS spokesman Andrew Hromoko.

Pennsylvania does not require documentation of immigration, citizenship or residency status to register a corporation or business, said Leslie Amoros, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Department of State documents list Zheng as president of New Chinatown Inc., located at 1300 Island Ave. in Stowe. These documents, filed from 2000 to 2002, name the businesses as New Chinatown Realty LLC, New Chinatown Trading LLC and New Chinatown LLC.

Asking people for proof of citizenship or residency before allowing immigrants -- legal or not -- to buy property or open businesses risks violating federal discrimination laws, said Sara Rose, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union in Pittsburgh.

"Asking could put someone in hot water if they're asking based on color or ethnicity," Rose said. "Really, it just comes down to whether you have a legitimate reason to ask. And it comes back to the fact it's the federal government that regulates immigration, not the states."

A number of immigration laws are being considered by federal lawmakers, said U.S. Department of Justice spokesman Charles Miller. But whether federal laws bar illegal immigrants from owning property or businesses is immaterial to basic federal law concerning residency status, he said.

"From the federal point of view, if you're undocumented, you're not allowed to be here at all," Miller said. "And if we find you, we deport you."

State Rep. Nick Kotik, D-Coraopolis, whose district includes Stowe, struggled for an answer when asked about Zheng's ability to buy real estate and own a business.

"Where do you begin to rectify a situation like that?" Kotik said. "I guess you get into an area of what rights do illegal aliens have, if any. You would think that someone not from the country wouldn't have the same constitutional rights, but I don't know.

"It's a baffling topic."

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