One day after a jury convicted Shan Wei Yu for trafficking illegal immigrants and money laundering, the Texas man agreed to hand over his earnings and home to the federal government.
Yu, 51, of McKinney, Texas, didn't contest forfeiting his assets during a hearing Friday in Fargo's U.S. District Court.
A jury convicted Yu and his business, Great Texas Employment Agency, Thursday after testimony showed he had placed at least 6,000 people - some of them illegal immigrants - at Asian restaurants nationwide from March 2000 to January 2005.
Prosecutors planned to ask jurors at a special hearing Friday to force Yu to forfeit his home, business proceeds, nine bank accounts and cash found during a raid of his home.
However, Yu agreed at the start of the hearing to give up his interest in the assets.
ADVERTISEMENT
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Chase said the bank accounts total about $10,000. Agents found more than $2,000 during the raid of Yu's house.
Additionally, Yu agreed to a $100,000 judgment that allows the government to seize additional assets not named in the stipulation.
The employment agency used Chinese-language advertisements to offer restaurants cheap labor from Mexico, South America and Central America.
Prosecutors believe Yu earned at least $900,000 for the workers he placed at restaurants across the country.
He hired drivers to deliver at least 40 illegal immigrants to Asian restaurants in North Dakota, including Fargo, during a 15-month stretch.
He earned $150 for each worker, while drivers earned $300. Restaurant owners deducted the $450 from workers' first-month paychecks.
A grand jury indicted Yu after authorities launched an investigation in early 2004. The investigation began when U.S. Immigration and Customs agents questioned, two illegal immigrants near Grand Forks.
Yu will be sentenced Dec. 9 and faces 10 years in prison. His girlfriend, Ya Cao, was arraigned in court last week on similar charges.
