BIDDEFORD — On Friday, the U.S. Attorney for Maine announced that eight people who worked at Mexican restaurants in Maine were charged with criminal complaints of possession of false documents and/or unlawful presence in the U.S.
According to a statement from Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark, Santos Herasmo Elias-Lopez, Esteban Lopez-Cruz, Salvador Carmona-Ramirez, Enrique Ruiz-De La Cruz, Ernesto Bravo-Rodriguez and Arturo Serrato-Rodriguez were charged with possession of false lawful permanent resident and Social Security cards. Zaqueo Nectali Elias-Lopez and Catalino Lopez-Gomez were charged with possession of false documents an unlawful presence in the U.S. after having been removed.
According to the statement, the defendants are Mexican and Guatemalan citizens. They were encountered by authorities when search warrants were executed at the Cancun Mexican Restaurant II in Biddeford, the Cancun Mexican Restaurant in Waterville and Fajita Grill in Westbrook, and residences associated with those restaurants.
The charge of possession of false documents carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty for each charge of unlawful presence is two years in prison. Defendants also face fines of up to $250,000 for each count, and supervised release.
Owners of the three restaurants, brothers Hector Fuentes, 37, of Waterville, and Guillermo Fuentes, 35, of Westbrook, were arrested on Sept. 21. They were charged federally with one count each of conspiring to harbor illegal aliens and employing illegal aliens.
Hector Fuentes is the owner of Cancun Mexican Restaurant II and Cancun Mexican Restaurant.
Guillermo Fuentes is the owner of Fajita Grill.
Each faces maximum prison terms of 10 years for conspiring to harbor illegal aliens and up to $250,000 in fines. They each face up to six months in prison for engaging in the practice of hiring aliens and a fine of up to $3,000 for each illegal immigrant hired.
The brothers are free on bail. They were required to surrender their passports as a condition of release.
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