Thread: 8 former Howard workers to be arraigned Monday

8 former Howard workers to be arraigned Monday
September 13, 2008

Eight former workers at Howard Industries, snared during a federal raid of the Laurel plant, will be asked to enter a plea on felony identity theft charges during an arraignment hearing Monday morning in U.S. District Court in Hattiesburg.

The eight were among 595 suspected undocumented workers who were caught in an Aug. 25 sweep by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at Howard Industries in Laurel. The seven Mexicans and one Guatemalan were charged with using stolen identities — including one who used the Social Security number of a dead person — to gain employment.

On Aug. 27 during the group’s preliminary/detention hearing, federal prosecutors presented fraudulent resident alien and Social Security cards taken from their employee files at Howard Industries.

A federal agent testified that the eight had been identified when ICE compared a list of Howard Industries’ employees with a list of stolen identities.

U.S. Magistrate Mike Parker ordered all eight held without bond because they could “assume another identity (and) easily flee.â€

Were any employers caught, fined, or otherwise punished?

Hattiesburg 09/15/08
Illegal immigrant suspects appear in court

Posted: Sep 15, 2008 08:44 PM PDT

Updated: Sep 15, 2008 09:31 PM PDT


Eight suspected illegal immigrants were arraigned before a federal judge Monday morning.

They all face charges, stemming from a raid on Howard Industries in Laurel last month.

The six men and two women pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft, fraud or misuse of identification documents and misuse of social security numbers.

The group was among 595 suspected undocumented workers taken into custody August 25th at the Laurel plant.

http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S= ... =menu119_2

Not the employers, evidently.