JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville restaurant owner has pleaded guilty to operating a business designed to evade U.S. immigration laws, federal prosecutors announced.
Hua Yao Ke, 38, admitted to employing undocumented workers at Kamiya 86 Sushi and Thai, a restaurant he owned in Ponte Vedra Beach. Prosecutors said Ke did not require workers to provide legal employment documents, violating federal law.
In addition to hiring undocumented workers, Ke provided them free housing at a property he owned, as well as free transportation to and from the restaurant. He also paid wages in cash without withholding taxes or other required payments.
Ke faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.