News Releases and Statements

Sai W. Fung, president and CEO of Bren-Tronics, Inc. and UltraCell, LLC and the owner of RCE Manufacturing, LLC has volunteered on behalf of each company to enter the IMAGE program. The new partnership was marked Thursday by an ceremony at HSI New York’s Manhattan office.

Malik Yousaf, 55, carried out his elaborate scheme by using stolen identities and harboring illegal aliens employed at 7-Eleven, Inc. (7-Eleven) franchise stores located throughout Long Island and Virginia. 

Edward J. Tutunjian, 67, of Belmont, Massachusetts, has owned and operated Boston Cab for more than four decades through his company; EJT Management, Inc. Tutunjian was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to 20 months of probation, 18 months of which must be spent at Coolidge House, a community correctional facility in Boston.

Mohammad Abdul Wahid, 54, of Queens, New York, and Mohammed Iqbal Kabir, 42, of Bronx, New York, are charged by complaint with one count each of conspiracy to commit human trafficking related offenses, conspiracy to harbor undocumented persons for financial gain; and violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

The men charged in the complaint were Sergio Ramses Mucino, 42, Jose Sanchez-Ocampo, 37, and Marguin Sanchez, 22, all of Buffalo. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine.

Yaowapha Ritdet, 56, of Ukiah, admitted she knowingly hired Thai nationals who were illegally present in the United States to work at her restaurants, Ruen Tong Thai Cuisine and the Walter Café, both located in Ukiah.

IMAGE is a voluntary program that allows private industry to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce unauthorized employment and the use of fraudulent identity documents. ICE is striving to achieve the highest level of workforce integrity throughout the country by coordinating closely with industry partners.

According to the agreement, in March 2012, HSI audited employee I-9 immigration forms at Mary’s Gone Crackers Inc., based in Gridley. Later, in May 2012, HSI notified the company that 49 of its employees appeared not to be authorized to work in the U.S. After one employee provided corrected documentation, Mary’s Gone Crackers informed ICE the other 48 had resigned or been terminated.

WestAir Gases & Equipment, a family-owned business formerly known as San Diego Welders Supply, is the 19th San Diego-area employer to become an IMAGE member. Most of the company’s over 200 employees work at offices in Southern California, including the firm’s headquarters in San Diego. The company also has offices in Texas and Arizona.

DJ Drywall, Inc., and its owner David L. Jones, 47, pleaded guilty in February to knowingly encouraging and inducing a Mexican national to reside in the United States in violation of the law. 

Pacific Coast Fruit Company, which serves regional retail, wholesale, and food service customers, boasts a workforce of 450 employees – many of whom have been with the company for years. The family-owned business, which was established in 1977, is one of the largest independently-owned produce distributors in the Pacific Northwest, with a warehouse and fresh cut processing facility in Portland, and a new, state of the art distribution center in Seattle. 

Officials with Home Care Choices, Inc., doing business as Right at Home of Westborough, and ICE formally agreed on Aug. 6 to partner in the "IMAGE" program. The "ICE Mutual Agreement between Government and Employers" program partnership was signed during a ceremony held at Right at Home’s offices in Westborough.