Local restaurant owner pleads guilty to hiring, housing undocumented immigrants
The owner of Kamiya 86 Sushi and Thai in Ponte Vedra Beach is pleading guilty to violating multiple immigration laws using his restaurant.
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Hua Yao Ke is a Chinese citizen who lives in Jacksonville.
Action News Jax told you back in August when the restaurant, along with its Jacksonville Beach counterpart, was raided by law enforcement.
Read: 'The entire place was surrounded:' Kamiya 86 restaurants raided by Homeland Security
According to the plea agreement, Ke employed workers who were illegally in the United States. Despite federal requirements, Ke did not require his workers to provide documents proving they can legally work in the country.
It also says Ke owned a home where he let the undocumented workers live for free. He provided them with free transportation to and from work. He also paid the workers in cash, avoiding taxation.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office investigated the case alongside Homeland Security and the Border Patrol.
Ke has yet to be sentenced. He faces a maximum federal prison sentence of five years.
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