Plant workers plead guilty to illegal immigration

The five were among 136 employees arrested at the poultry-processing plant on May 22 because they were believed to be illegal immigrants.

About 100 officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, U.S. Marshals Service and the Missouri Highway Patrol served warrants at the plant that day.

Mexico citizen Armando Verde-Villanueva, 23; and Guatemala citizens Elias Hernandez-Tevalan, 41; Bladimiro Gomez-Garcia, 33; Gabriel Lopez-Alvarado, 38; and Ervin Mendez-Ordonez, 22, have pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge James C. England to charges contained in federal indictments that were returned in June.

Each pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen, aggravated identity theft and misuse of a Social Security number. Verde-Villanueva and Gomez-Garcia also each pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after being deported.

The five are the only arrested employees who have been processed through the system so far, according to U.S. Attorney Western District of Missouri spokesman Don Ledford.

No charges have been filed against George’s, which is based in Springdale, Ark.