Illegal Immigrant Sting Nabs 24 in Texas

Plucked: Texas authorities have indicted four people, including three former employees of chicken producer Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., on charges of running an identity-theft ring aimed at securing jobs at the company’s plants for illegal immigrants. Among those indicted is ReynaVillareal (also known as Reyna Aleman), a former human resources employee at Pilgrim’s Pride who allegedly hired the people despite knowing they were in the U.S. illegally and were using fraudulent identity documents. She was indicted on charges of making a false statement and mail fraud, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle. All told, authorities arrested 24 people in connection with a nine-month investigation in which federal agents posed as illegal immigrants seeking work at plants in East Texas that are owned by Pilgrim’s Pride, which reportedly is the nation’s largest chicken producer. “Agents believe they infiltrated an alleged ring in which job seekers would pay hundreds of dollars for fraudulent documents that would get them jobs at Pilgrim’s Pride,” according to the Chronicle. The company said it is not facing charges and is cooperating with the investigation.