The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office pulled off its 81st workplace raid, and as usual, the employees are the ones facing punishment, not the employers.
Five people were arrested at different locations, including employees of a restaurant, landscaping service, and a country club.
See also:
-Arpaio's Workplace Raid of Uncle Sam's Results in First Arrest of Business Owner
-Arpaio Will Continue to Defy Judge Snow Until He's Held in Contempt
Typically in these cases, MCSO gets a tip that several employees of the same business are there using a stolen or fake identification.
This time, however, identity-theft victims went to MCSO, and arrested four workers working under one name in one case, and arrested one of two people they found using a person's identity in another case.
According to MCSO, one of the workers apparently was tipped off to the investigation by her employer, and detectives haven't caught her.
An MCSO press release states that both victims found out their identities were stolen when they applied for food stamps, and were denied because the agency thought they were "actually employed" and making money.
In this Melendres-era press release, MCSO's press office dances around the fact the workers arrested are suspected of being in the country illegally:
Four of the suspects were held by Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE), while the ICE disposition of the fifth suspect is unknown. ICE holds are employed when a suspect in a crime has been identified as an illegal immigrant.(FYI: "ICE" stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.)
The workers face felony charges.
Got a tip? Send it to: Matthew Hendley.
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