St. Louis, MO (KSDK) - The owner of a local landscaping company was indicted Friday for fraudulently obtaining guest worker visas for foreign immigrants to support his business, U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said.
According to the indictment, between March 2007 and February 2010, Robert Brake and his company, Brake Landscaping & Lawncare Inc., illegally subcontracted immigrant workers to work on a weekly basis at $2 per hour per person.
The immigrant workers were employed as part of the H-2B non-immigrant visa program, which allows employers to hire aliens to come to the United States and perform temporary, non-agricultural services on a one-time, seasonal, peak-load or intermittent basis. There is a set limit on the number of aliens who may receive H-2B visa status during each government fiscal year.
Brake, 33, allegedly kept his workers in the country year-round, going as far as to incorporating a snow and ice removal business
Brake and his company were indicted on one felony count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
If convicted, each count on the indictment carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000.
KSDK