Atlanta meat supplier executives sentenced for hiring illegal immigrants
Three owners of an Atlanta company that supplied meat to restaurants around the Southeast were sentenced to prison Wednesday after they admitted hiring at least 12 illegal immigrants and paying wages off the books so they could avoid more than $300,000 in federal taxes, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Rhett Maughon, 49, and Marcus Maughon, 47, were sentenced to five and three years in prison, respectively. Rafael Villarreal Sr., 42, was sentenced to five years in prison followed by detention proceedings with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The three men and two others not named in the indictment owned Atlanta Food Authority, doing business as Atlanta Meat Co. Prosecutors said the men received cash for some customers paid in cash, which they did not report. They also paid some employees entirely or partly in cash, many of whom were not authorized to work in this country.