Couple sentenced for securing jobs for illegal workers

BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — A Houston couple has been sentenced to federal prison for operating an employment agency that for years found work in restaurants across the country for people in the U.S. illegally.

Fifty-eight-year-old Chenglun Ma and his wife, 55-year-old Lina Sun, were sentenced Thursday in federal court in Beaumont to 13 months and 18 months, respectively. They also were ordered to forfeit a residence and pay a $2.2 million judgment.

They both pleaded guilty in June to federal racketeering charges.

Prosecutors say the two enlisted workers for placement in more than 1,000 Chinese restaurants in 29 states.

The couple was among about 30 people indictedon charges they transported and harbored people in the country illegally.