In a nationwide investigation, federal agents arrested 193 illegal immigrants working as janitors, including about a dozen in Colorado, as part of a crack-down on a cleaning service based in Nevada.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have charged three executives of Nevada-based Rosenbaum-Cunningham International, or RCI, with fraud and tax crimes as part of the continuing crackdown.
“There are a number of industries who hire illegal immigrants blatantly, almost as part of their business practices,” said Marc Raimondi, ICE spokesman at headquarters in Washington D.C.
The Colorado workers were arrested at worksites in Denver and Westminster. Arrests were made in 17 other states.
The workers were swept up early today in 63 locations nationwide, including restaurants such as the House of Blues, Hard Rock Cafe, ESPN Zone, Planet Hollywood, and others, according to a law enforcement official.
RCI co-owners Richard M. Rosenbaum and Edward Scott Cunningham, and firm controller Christina Flocken, face various criminal fraud, immigration and tax charges in the 23-count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The investigation, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began 20 months ago from concerns about cleaning crews at the Grand Traverse Resort in northwestern Michigan.
RCI contracted with the resort between June 1997 and March 2006, according to the indictment. Between 2002 and 2006 alone, Grand Traverse paid RCI over $3 million for grounds and maintenance services, kitchen cleaning and housekeeping duties.
But RCI failed to pay employment taxes on its nationwide operations – defrauding the government of more than $18 million – and did not require its workers to show proof of legal U.S.
residence as required by law, according to the indictment.
An estimated 250 illegal immigrants working as janitors were caught up in the probe, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges had not yet been publicly announced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
