CLARKSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Morgantown construction company owner has admitted to harboring illegal workers and committing tax fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Hetzon Marroquin Reyes, also known as “Hector,” age 40, pleaded guilty to harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and interfering with tax laws.
Reyes owns and operates A&M Homes, LLC, a construction company based in Morgantown.
Court documents reveal that Reyes hired and harbored illegal workers, providing them with fraudulent driver’s licenses and immigration forms for use with West Virginia labor inspectors.
He also used social security numbers belonging to deceased individuals and other people to file taxes.
“We are committed to protecting the integrity of the United States’ immigration system and preventing the exploitation of that system for any purpose, including commercial advantage and private financial gain,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard.
“Those, like the defendant, who choose to violate the law for a perceived profit will do so at their peril and at the expense of a substantial fine and imprisonment.”
Reyes faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for harboring illegal workers and up to three years for tax interference.
His final sentence will be determined by a federal judge considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas and investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, and the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided over the proceedings.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling transnational criminal organizations, and addressing violent crime.
