Restaurant Owners Charged With Harboring Undocumented Workers

Jacksonville, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Hua Yao Ke (38) and Ping Ping Zheng (37), both of Jacksonville, have been charged by criminal complaint with harboring undocumented workers for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

According to the complaints, Ke owned and operated the Kamiya 86 Sushi and Thai restaurant located in Ponte Vedra Beach. Zheng owned and operated the Kamiya 86 Asian Bistro and Sushi Bar located in Jacksonville Beach. At the restaurants, Zheng and Ke employed workers who were unlawfully present in the United States and who were not legally authorized to work in the United States. Contrary to federal law, they did not require the workers to provide documents to establish that they could legally work in the United States.

Ke and Zheng also each owned a residence at which they provided rent-free housing to the undocumented workers. They provided the workers with free transportation between the houses and the restaurants. They also provided the workers with free food. They paid the workers in cash and did not withhold taxes and other payments from the workers' wages.

A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Border Patrol, with assistance from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and the Jacksonville Beach Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.