Construction company owner fined $5,000

He pleads guilty in illegal immigrants case. Right Way employed three Mexican nationals.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007
By RUSS FLANAGAN


The owner of a Palmer Township construction company targeted by the district attorney's office for employing illegal immigrants was fined Tuesday in Northampton County Court.

Salvatore Sacco, 60, owner of Right Way Construction Co., pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing administration of law and was fined $5,000 by Judge Stephen G. Baratta.

Additional charges of conspiracy and hindering apprehension were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

In October, District Attorney John Morganelli put local business owners on notice when he announced plans to crack down on illegal immigrants by prosecuting businesses that employ them.

Morganelli filed criminal charges against Right Way Construction Co. of Palmer Township after it was found employing three Mexican nationals who entered the United States illegally. The illegal immigrants were found to be using phony documents and committing identity theft.

According to court records, the men were making about $8 an hour, about half what the average construction worker earns. The average wage for a construction worker in 2000 was $15.81, according to federal statistics.

Over the past several years, Morganelli's office has rounded up hundreds of illegal aliens and charged them with a myriad of crimes, including identity theft. He has been a regular guest on national cable talk shows on CNN and The Fox News Channel talking about illegal immigration.

Reporter Russ Flanagan can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at rflanagan@express-times.com



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