WESTBROOK – Brothers Guillermo Fuentes, 38, of Westbrook, and Hector Fuentes, 40, of Waterville, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Monday to knowingly hiring 10 or more undocumented aliens in a 12-month period and making false statements to federal agents.

According to a news release from U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II, the employment charge relates to hiring practices at the Fajita Grill restaurant on Main Street in Westbrook.

The false statement charge arises out of post-arrest statements the defendants made to law enforcement officers in September 2011 regarding the hiring practices at the Fajita Grill and at the Cancun Mexican Restaurant in Waterville. The brothers falsely stated, among other things, that federally required documentation regarding the immigration status of employees had been properly completed, Delahanty said.

The brothers were originally charged in 2011 after Westbrook police Capt. Tom Roth alerted the Department of Homeland Security about possible illegal aliens living in Westbrook after he made a routine traffic stop and the driver, who said he worked at Fajita Grill, could not provide any identification.

In August 2013, the brothers were awarded a new trial after a juror was found to have made racial remarks.

The defendants face up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. They will be sentenced after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office, Delahanty said.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

The restaurant on Main Street in Westbrook remains open. On Wednesday, a manager of the restaurant, did not want to give their name, said the Fuentes brothers are still the owners of the establishment.

According to assistant U.S. attorney Julia Lipez, the sentencing for the Fuentes brothers is scheduled for Oct. 20.

– Andrew Rice