LITTLE ROCK — Five people who hired and transported illegal aliens to work as chicken catchers on poultry farms have been sentenced and ordered to forfeit more than $1.8 million in cash and property, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Monday.
Leoncio Amador-Villanueva, Jose “Manuel” Amador-Villanueva and Kelle Stubbs-Amador, all of Alma, Juan Amador-Villanueva of Batesville, and Luis Felipe Martinez of Lowell were sentenced Friday, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney’s office.
Leoncio Amador-Villanueva was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor, transport and employ illegal aliens, and money laundering.
Jose “Manuel” Amador-Villanueva was sentenced to a year in prison and three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor, transport and employ illegal aliens.
Kelle Stubbs-Amador was sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harbor, transport and employ illegal aliens.
Juan Amador-Villanueva was sentenced to 15 months in prison and three yearsof supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to harbor, transport and employ illegal aliens, and money laundering.
The defendants entered their pleas in October.
Luis Felipe Martinez was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in December to one count of causing a financial institution to file a false currency transaction report.
The defendants have not been assigned to a federal prison yet, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Plumlee. Both Leoncio and Juan Amador-Villanueva and Kelle Stubbs-Amador were living in the U.S. legally, Plumlee said. He said he was not aware of the immigration status of the other two.
The five knew they were hiring illegal aliens to work on chicken catching crews and were transported to various work sites and paid in cash, according the release.
The illegal workers were employed by Amador Poultry Contracting and J & A Loading.
Both businesses were owned or controlled by the defendants.
The defendants were arrested in September. The defendants forfeited $1.2 million in cash and another $631,000 in real and personal property.
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 07/20/2010