Restaurant Owner Indicted on Charges of Harboring Illegal Aliens and Visa Fraud

DETROIT - The owner and operator of two Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse restaurants was indicted on charges of conspiracy, harboring illegal aliens for commercial advantage and private financial gain, and fraud and misuse of immigration documents. Arrested yesterday was Yong NI, 52, of Troy, Michigan. NI appeared in federal court yesterday for his initial appearance on the charges. Officers from the Macomb County FBI Gang and Violent Crime Task Force and the U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Sector executed three separate search warrants at residences in Shelby Township and Royal Oak, Michigan, owned by NI personally or through the Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse corporation, and encountered twenty-eight individuals living at the homes, seventeen of whom were identified as aliens illegally present in the United States without employment authorization. Evidence obtained during the course of the investigation showed that the illegal aliens were hired by NI to work at his restaurants located in Shelby Township and Royal Oak. The illegal aliens resided at NI’s Shelby Township and Royal Oak homes and were transported to and from the restaurant for work. Further investigation showed that NI directed illegal aliens without valid documents to other employees to obtain fraudulent permanent resident cards and social security cards. NI has also been charged with possession of a lawful permanent resident card obtained by fraud or false statements. NI obtained a visa to the United States and his permanent residency by failing to disclose a prior exclusion order from 1995 where he attempted to enter the United States with a fraudulent United States passport. "Exploiting our immigration system for personal gain is a serious offense, and those who orchestrate or participate in such schemes will have to answer for their actions,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “The defendant’s alleged actions of illegally harboring individuals at various residences across our state, transporting them, and employing them at his restaurants, including those unlawfully present in the United States, while misusing visa programs for financial gain, are serious. This operation was a success thanks to the dedicated members of our Macomb County FBI Gang and Violent Crime Task Force and the FBI Oakland County Resident Agency, alongside our partners at the U.S. Border Patrol Detroit Sector." NI faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.