|
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.
| 
