Two weeks after his restaurant was searched by FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, China Super Buffet owner Da Zhong Ouyang has been formally indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for immigration violations.
The 39-year-old was charged with "harboring and concealing illegal aliens at his home and in his restaurant...and with employing illegal aliens during a 12-month period" at the popular dining spot in Hinesville, Southern U.S. District Court Attorney Edmund Booth said Wednesday.
The indictment includes a forfeiture allegation that claims since Ouyang used both his business and residence "to facilitate the offenses charged in the indictment," both properties "should be forfeited to the United States."
The owner could face up to 10 years in prison be fined up to $250,000, if convicted of harboring and concealing illegal aliens. The employing of illegal aliens carries a maximum six-month imprisonment.
U.S. Southern District Magistrate Court deputy Sherry Flanders said Ouyang, who was arrested in late January and held at the McIntosh County Jail in Darien, was released on bond Thursday.
She said an initial court appearance and arraignment have not been scheduled.
ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said a total of 13 individuals were arrested during the raid on Ouyang's restaurant, but Booth said he could not comment on the status of other cases at this time.
The China Super Buffet was temporarily closed following the search by federal agents, but has since reopened.
Calls to Ouyang's home went unanswered and messages left at the restaurant were not returned.
The 39-year-old was charged with "harboring and concealing illegal aliens at his home and in his restaurant...and with employing illegal aliens during a 12-month period" at the popular dining spot in Hinesville, Southern U.S. District Court Attorney Edmund Booth said Wednesday.
The indictment includes a forfeiture allegation that claims since Ouyang used both his business and residence "to facilitate the offenses charged in the indictment," both properties "should be forfeited to the United States."
The owner could face up to 10 years in prison be fined up to $250,000, if convicted of harboring and concealing illegal aliens. The employing of illegal aliens carries a maximum six-month imprisonment.
U.S. Southern District Magistrate Court deputy Sherry Flanders said Ouyang, who was arrested in late January and held at the McIntosh County Jail in Darien, was released on bond Thursday.
She said an initial court appearance and arraignment have not been scheduled.
ICE spokesman Richard Rocha said a total of 13 individuals were arrested during the raid on Ouyang's restaurant, but Booth said he could not comment on the status of other cases at this time.
The China Super Buffet was temporarily closed following the search by federal agents, but has since reopened.
Calls to Ouyang's home went unanswered and messages left at the restaurant were not returned.