Illegal Alien Restaurant Owner Indicted for Hiding and Employing Illegal Alien Workers in His Restaurant

RADCLIFF, Kentucky (ICE) -- A Chinese restaurant owner and his brother were indicted with illegally harboring, transporting and employing illegal alien workers as a result of a worksite enforcement investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

David L. Huber, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, announced that a federal grand jury in Louisville charged Jian Tian Lin, 32, and his brother, Jian Chai Lin, 34, both of Radcliff, with illegally harboring, transporting and employing illegal aliens.

According to the indictment, between May 2003 and May 10, 2006, brothers Jian Tian Lin and Jian Chai Lin, both illegal aliens themselves, conspired to transport, harbor and conceal illegal Chinese and Mexican aliens for financial gain and commercial advantage. Restaurant owner Jian Tian Lin and Jian Chai Lin are also charged with six counts of transporting and harboring and concealing illegal aliens in connection with their employment at the Golden China Buffet restaurant in Radcliff.

The investigation began when ICE agents received a tip that Chinese nationals were being transported by bus and van to and from various restaurant locations in the Louisville Metro area. During the investigation it was determined that Jian Chai Lin, the operator of the Golden China Buffet at 597 W. Lincoln Trail, Radcliff, employed these illegal aliens who were not listed as required on Wage File Data, filed with the Secretary of State, to work at the Golden China Buffet.

The investigation further determined that Jian Tian Lin housed the illegal aliens at a residence located at 713 Wilma Ave., Radcliff, and surreptitiously transported the aliens back and forth to work at the restaurant. At the time of the arrests in this case there were seven illegal aliens, in addition to the Lins, located at either the residence or the restaurant.

"ICE aggressively targets those employers who knowingly employ an illegal alien workforce,” said ICE Resident Agent-in-Charge Jerry Phillips who heads the Louisville, Ky., office. "We are committed to using all our investigative tools to pursue those who take advantage of illegal labor to make a profit."

If convicted, the maximum potential penalties are up to 50 years imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, and supervised release for a period of 3 years.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel P. Kinnicutt and Robert J. Kilmartin are prosecuting the case.

Jian Tian Lin is currently in federal custody, and Jian Chai Lin was released on bond. They are scheduled to appear for arraignment before the U.S. Magistrate Judge June 27 in Louisville.