The News UpFront: (TOP STORY) as of Friday, May 6, 2011 

A Filipino couple in Southern California will be sentenced in September after pleading guilty to felony charges of harboring undocumented aliens and making them work long hours and paying them less than the minimum wage. Authorities identified the couple as Maximino Morales, 45, and Melinda Morales, 48. They operated four elder care facilities in the City of Paso Robles, about 80 miles north-west of Los Angeles.

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STORY OF ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION

Filipino Couple Pleads Guilty to Felony for 'Harboring Illegal Aliens'

By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ

Member, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)

and National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)

T ORONTO - A Filipino couple in the Los Angeles, California suburb of Paso Robles on Friday (May 6, 2011) pleaded guilty to charges of harboring undocumented aliens, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

The United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles identified the couple as Maximino Morales, 45, and Melinda Morales, 48, both from the Philippines. They were arrested last year. according to a Department of Justice spokesman.

United States District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank will sentence them on Sept. 19.

The spokesman told The Filipino Web Channel/Philippine Village Voice that the Moraleses operated four elder care facilities and recruited Filipino nationals to come to the United States with promises of work as live-in caregivers.

Their associate in the Philippines, the spokesman explained, helped the aliens obtain fraudulent visas that allowed them to travel to the US.

Once in the US, some of the new recruits worked 24-hour shifts as caregivers in the couple's facilities and paid less than the minimum wage.

“All of the aliens lived in the care facilities, and some of the aliens slept in a closet, on a sofa, and in a walled-off portion of an unheated, attached garage,” the spokesman said.

“The Filipino workers illegally brought to this country with promises of decent jobs were instead subjected to abusive working conditions and threats designed to keep them working for less than the minimum wage,” said US Attorney André Birotte Jr. in a press statement.

 “We are committed to protecting workers, no matter their status in the United States. Those who try to circumvent our nation’s immigration and employment laws for financial gain will be prosecuted and punished,” he added.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which received assistance from the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division and the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

“The case against Mr. and Mrs. Morales reflects the importance the FBI places in investigations involving smuggled workers and possible civil rights violations,” said Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles.

“The victims in this case displayed tremendous courage in coming forward, and their actions will likely embolden other victims to report these crimes, as well as raise awareness with others who may not recognize signs of alien smuggling and potential human trafficking,” Martinez stated.

In their plea agreements, Maximino and Melinda Morales have agreed to pay restitution of at least $500,000 to approximately ten Filipinos who were not properly paid for the work they performed.

For other stories and photos, please visit: 

1. http://currentsbreakingnews.blogspot.com/ 

2. http://torontonewsroom.blogspot.com/

3. http://timecircumstance.blogspot.com/

4. http://travelsthemes.blogspot.com/ 

5. http://gotchajournalist.blogspot.com/ .