McPherson Couple Pleads Guilty To Employing Undocumented Workers
2015-09-10 · Press release
WICHITA, KAN. – A married couple from India having no lawful status in the United States pleaded guilty Thursday to charges related to unlawful employment of undocumented workers, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
The couple, Satishkumar A. Patel, 47, and Daxaben S. Patel, 36, both of McPherson, Kan., entered their guilty pleas Thursday before U.S. District Eric F. Melgren. Judge Melgren set sentencing for Nov. 25.
Satishkumar Patel pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern or practice of employing undocumented workers, failure to collect federal income and Social Security taxes, and operating an unlicensed money remitting business. His wife, Daxaben Patel, pleaded guilty to the unlicensed money remitting business charge. The charges carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
As part of the plea agreement, the Patels agreed to forfeit more than $700,000 in cash, money from bank accounts, and gold seized by the government in the case. Those assets represent proceeds of the Patel’s unlawful activities.
“This is what happens when employers ignore U.S. employment, business and tax laws,” Grissom said. “They face prosecution for their crimes and the loss of assets obtained in connection with those crimes. Contrary to what some may think, it is not legal to employ people not authorized to work in this country, nor is it legal to ignore our business and tax laws.”
The case came about when inspectors from the Kansas Department of Revenue Alcohol Beverage Control division observed employees at the Route 56 Express gas station and convenience store in McPherson selling tobacco products to minors. The investigators determined that several employees at Route 56 Express were not lawfully in the United States, nor were they authorized to be employed. Local and federal investigators then assisted, which led to the return of federal indictment in June.
Grissom praised the investigative agencies that worked on the case, which included the KDOR Office of Special Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the McPherson, Kan., Police Dept., the Kansas Department of Labor and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson.
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- https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/mcpherson-couple-pleads-guilty-employing-undocumented-workers
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| participant_id | name | role | title | organization | location | age | nationality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2658 | Satishkumar A. Patel | defendant | McPherson, Kan. | 47 | India | pleaded guilty | ||
| 2659 | Daxaben S. Patel | defendant | McPherson, Kan. | 36 | India | pleaded guilty | ||
| 2660 | Barry Grissom | prosecutor | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Wichita, KAN | |||
| 2661 | Eric F. Melgren | judge | U.S. District Judge | Kansas | ||||
| 2662 | Brent Anderson | prosecutor | Assistant U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office | Wichita, Kan. |
| agency_id | agency_name | abbreviation | role | office_location | agents_mentioned | contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1712 | U.S. Attorney's Office | USAO | prosecution | Wichita, KAN | Barry Grissom, Brent Anderson | Prosecuted the case and led the prosecution efforts. |
| 1713 | Kansas Department of Revenue Office of Special Investigations | KDOR OSI | investigation | Initiated the case by observing employees selling tobacco to minors, leading to discovery of undocumented workers. | ||
| 1714 | Homeland Security Investigations | HSI | investigation | Assisted in the investigation leading to the federal indictment. | ||
| 1715 | McPherson Police Department | investigation | McPherson, Kan. | Assisted in the investigation. | ||
| 1716 | Kansas Department of Labor | investigation | Participated in the investigative efforts. | |||
| 1717 | Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General | SSA OIG | investigation | Contributed to the investigation. |
| charge_id | charge_description | statute | severity | max_penalty | fine_amount | defendant | status | participant_id | cl_docket_id | count_num | is_1960 | verified_1960 | source | updated_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1387 | Engaging in a pattern or practice of employing undocumented workers | five years in prison | $250,000 | Satishkumar A. Patel | pleaded guilty | 0 | enrichment | |||||||
| 1388 | Failure to collect federal income and Social Security taxes | five years in prison | $250,000 | Satishkumar A. Patel | pleaded guilty | 0 | enrichment | |||||||
| 1389 | Operating an unlicensed money remitting business | five years in prison | $250,000 | Satishkumar A. Patel | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:43:15+00:00 | ||||||
| 1390 | Operating an unlicensed money remitting business | five years in prison | $250,000 | Daxaben S. Patel | pleaded guilty | 1 | enrichment | 2026-09-16T19:43:15+00:00 |
| fin_id | action_type | amount | currency | description | asset_type | defendant | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1368 | forfeiture | $700,000 | USD | cash, money from bank accounts, and gold seized by the government in the case | cash, bank accounts, gold | Satishkumar A. Patel and Daxaben S. Patel | ordered |
| victim_id | victim_type | description | number_affected | loss_amount | geographic_scope | vulnerability_factors | impact_description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 780 | government | U.S. government | $700,000 | United States | Loss of assets obtained in connection with crimes | ||
| 781 | individual | undocumented workers | McPherson, Kansas | undocumented | Unauthorized employment |
| quote_id | quote_text | speaker_name | speaker_title | speaker_organization | quote_type | context | significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2935 | This is what happens when employers ignore U.S. employment, business and tax laws. They face prosecution for their crimes and the loss of assets obtained in connection with those crimes. Contrary to what some may think, it is not legal to employ people not authorized to work in this country, nor is it legal to ignore our business and tax laws. | Barry Grissom | U.S. Attorney | U.S. Department of Justice | statement | Commenting on the guilty pleas of the Patel couple | Emphasizes the legal consequences of employing undocumented workers and violating business and tax laws |
| theme_id | theme_name | description | significance | related_statutes | geographic_scope | temporal_aspects | stakeholders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Employment of Undocumented Workers | The couple employed individuals not lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. at their business, Route 56 Express. | Central to the charges, leading to prosecution and asset forfeiture. | Local | Law enforcement, Department of Labor, employees | ||
| 1942 | Tax Evasion/Failure to Collect Taxes | Satishkumar Patel failed to collect federal income and Social Security taxes from employees. | Constituted a key charge contributing to criminal penalties. | Local | IRS, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General | ||
| 1943 | Unlicensed Money Remitting Business | Both Patels operated an unlicensed money remitting business, violating financial regulations. | A core charge leading to criminal penalties and asset forfeiture. | Local | Financial regulators, law enforcement | ||
| 1944 | Asset Forfeiture | The Patels agreed to forfeit over $700,000 in cash, bank assets, and gold as proceeds of unlawful activities. | Serves as punishment and recovery of illicit gains. | Local | Recent development | U.S. Government, defendants | |
| 1945 | Federal and State Cooperation | Multiple agencies collaborated, including HSI, KDOR, McPherson Police, and Social Security Administration OIG. | Demonstrates coordinated law enforcement efforts across jurisdictions. | National | Homeland Security Investigations, Kansas Department of Revenue, McPherson Police Department, Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General |
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