PARKERSBURG RESTAURANT OWNER PLEADS GUILTY - Money Laundering & Transporting Illegal Aliens

(06/19/2003)

A Parkersburg restaurant owner has plead guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering. Alvaro Morales Munoz is accused of paying smugglers to transport illegal aliens from Mexico to work for him. The US Attorney's office says, 31-year-old Munoz also admitted to conspiring to harbor, conceal and transport illegal aliens for commercial advantage and financial gain. Munoz operates El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant and is a partner in three other Mexican restaurants in Martinsburg, WV, Winchester, Virginia and Johnson City, Tennessee. Munoz oversaw a largely illegal alien workforce, say authorities, he underpaid his employees and created fake payroll checks. Munoz will forfeit substantial assets as part of his plea agreement, including two residential properties, two vehicles and more than $62,000 in cash. The plea was entered yesterday in Charleston. Munoz faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $500, 000 fine. The sentencing is set for September 8, 2003 in Parkersburg.

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