Sale of home to help families of fire victims

NOVI (AP) — A judge has postponed the sentencing of a suburban Detroit couple while they try to sell a house where five immigrants died in a fire.

Roger Tam and Ada Mei Lei were due in federal court next week, but the hearing has been moved to Sept. 7.

Attorney Ray Cassar says money from the sale of the Novi home would go toward paying $174,000 in restitution to the victims’ families.

Tam and Lei pleaded guilty to knowing the immigrants were in the U.S. illegally.

A teenager and four young men from Mexico worked at the couple’s restaurant and lived in the house. They died in a fire that was linked to careless smoking.

Cassar says there’s been a separate settlement with an insurance company.