PORTLAND, Maine — Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to order the owners of 11 Chinese restaurants in three New England states to forfeit more than $153,000 seized from bank accounts in Maine.
In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Clark alleged that the Zhang organization skimmed nearly $2.9 million in cash transactions from the businesses in Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island over a 10-month period. The Zhang family also hired and housed undocumented workers whom they paid in cash without withholding taxes, according to the complaint.
The Zhang family owns Twin Super Buffet in Brewer, the New China Super Buffet in Lewiston, the Super China Buffet in Waterville and the Kon Asian Bistro in Portland. It also owns five restaurants in Massachusetts and two in Rhode Island.
The principals in the Zhang organization are a group of family members. Zi Qian Zhang is the family patriarch and resides with his wife, Ai Hui Lu, in Massachusetts, according to court documents. Six other family members were named in the complaint filed Monday.
No one in the family has been charged in U.S. District Court in Maine, Massachusetts or Rhode Island.
In November, the federal prosecutor filed a complaint seeking the forfeiture of a house at 278 Elm St. in Brewer owned by Ai Hui Lu. It was used to house illegal workers in squalid conditions, according to court documents.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office claimed that the $153,000 seized last year from seven bank accounts in Maine was earned illegally in violation of the following laws:
• Transportation of illegal aliens.
• Harboring of illegal aliens.
• Conspiracy to violate the immigration laws.
• Hiring at least 10 undocumented aliens during one 12-month period.
• Conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate its laws.
• Money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• Engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property in amounts greater than $10,000.
The investigation, which began in July 2007, revealed that the Zhang organization employed and harbored scores of illegal aliens at its Chinese buffets and bistros, according to the complaint filed Monday. The family allegedly harbored them at 11 safe houses located near the restaurants and ferried them to and from work in vans.
Workers were paid between $1,200 and $2,000 a month in cash, and sometimes were required to work 70 or more hours per week, according to the complaint. They received no overtime pay, health insurance, workers compensation or other benefits.
The restaurants in Brewer, Lewiston and Portland remained open Tuesday. No one answered a call Tuesday afternoon to the Waterville location.
Efforts to reach Clark were unsuccessful Tuesday. It is the practice of the U.S. Attorney’s Office not to comment on cases until they have been concluded.
It could not be determined Tuesday whether federal prosecutors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have sought the forfeiture of assets from the Zhang operation in those states.
They should use that money to refund the customers at Twin Super Buffet. That buffet was horrible!
Yeah I had the misfortune of eating there a few years ago. I was sick for three days afterwards.
And I bet your fortune cookie said “You will have good fortune and health life.”
should have said…”That wasnt Chicken”….sorry…couldnt help myself…lol
They made 2.9 million dollars. There must be a lot of people with cash who don’t care what they eat, as long as it’s all they can eat.
‘Merica baby!
Check out the people who go there.Shoveling anything into their great gaping maws. Plate after plate of sticky red meat and gooey dumplings.Let the buyer beware..Its quantity for most folks,not quality.
Sounds like you’ve been to one of those fine establishments! :)
It’s still open!
How many times did you go?
well that is why you dont eat there anymore than
The illegal aliens are probably like slaves. Who can they complain to about bad working conditions, etc.? Clever Chinese – until they get caught!
“No one in the family has been charged in U.S. District Court in Maine, Massachusetts or Rhode Island.” ~
No one charged, and yet the Feds want to steal their money? Perhaps they should just freeze the accounts (minus living expenses) and wait for a guilty veridict?
“Conspiracy to violate the immigration laws.”
“Conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate its laws.” ~
These are something every ILLEGAL does as well. Are they charging them too?
Maybe the feds should charge the Governors of RI, and MA for harboring illegals…
they need the money to finance another GSA party.
It seems to me this shouldn’t even be about their money, it should be about whether they acted in a manner that should have them all deported. They should shut down the restaurants and detain or charge them, and charge them.
Thank you for pointing this slight discrepancy out. Not charged, yet the feds want money and property up front. Just like if you get caught with a bit more drugs than the feds think you should have for “personal” use. They seize everything you have right off the bat and then even if you are aquitted, you pay hell getting your property and other assests returned. This also goes for fisherman who violate fishing laws, their boats are seized immediately and then afterwards should they get the boat back, it will be unseaworthy because it has been stored on an impound lot with maybe a tarp over it.
I sincerely hope that the ME has balls enough to tell the feds to pound sand, until they come up with charges and/or an indictment.
BTW; first laugh of the day- “Workers were paid between $1,200 and $2,000 a month in cash, and sometimes were required to work 70 or more hours per week, according to the complaint. They received no overtime pay, health insurance, workers compensation or other benefits.”
When I get back to ME I need to look this company up because those are the same standards many of us in ME worked under, except in this case, the pay is definately better. AND they provided a secure tenement for you to live in so you don’t have to face the ridiculous ME rental market and fork over that first/last and security deposit to the tune of several thousand $$. Yep, I think I will go look up their phone #.
yeah, if you are single, that is a pretty good deal.
Why have there not been any arrests?
it’s easier to just steal their money.
Policing For Profit
COPS do it all the time, handing out traffic tickets so the government can make extra money.
Can we just take all their money and deport them so they don’t cost us the price of a trial?
Good bye Zhangs Thanks for the cash!
There is going to be alot of hungry fat Americans if they close up shop…
The EX Mayor Of DC doesnt care too much for the Chinese….
Marion Barry is mean..
I don’t care too much for the Chinese either. BUT my government loves them.
They are business (money) oriented……
They dont like to donate to the local charities..
They are business “oriented.” Hmm…
What is the problem? Sound like good solid democrat/Obama voters to me.
“
Don’t forget to blame Obama and the Democrats for the weather too.
Only president that has documented illegals aliens from african counties.
Has aunt in C ambridge, Mass
An uncle in Massachusetts that got caught for driving under influence and right away gets license to drive back and forth to work.
Neither has the paperwork to be living here and should have been deported.
Maybe just maybe Massachusetts got a call to stop picking on his undocumented illegal family members
After loosing his license for DUI he was give a hardship license to get back and fourth to his job as a manager of a liquor store. Massachussetts…..what a country.
Gotta look out for those loose licenses.
Obama has deported more illegals than bush ever did.
cheating workers? sound more like good solid republican/romney voters to me
As long as they aren’t family right?
And they registered same day without needing identification
You must be a narrow minded republican. Every thing that comes up in the news you have to mention Obama and the democrats. Why don’t you check out all the crap the republicans put the country thru.
You mean like Obama’s Secret Service and Obama’s GSA?
It’s not “Obama’s Secret Service”. The Secret Service is protecting republican presidents of the past right this moment as well. It is not part of a presidential administration. But cute attempt at pretending you had some sort of counterpoint.
Really, I thought hiring undocumented workers was a republican virtue? That way they don’t have to provide health care to anyone. Silly me.
I love the buffet at the twin city plaza is good it would just be good if the waitress could speak more english!!!
Learn Chinese
We;re gonna have to … They own us thanks to Clinton, W, and Obama.
True. I’m pleased you named all the head culprits.
Harry may upset a few posters who comment here lol..
They should have been closed when they were found to have illegal workers.
Hey, illegal workers is a politically incorrect term these days. They are Undocumented Workers. Better fix that or you will get censored by the PC police
Illegal Criminal Aliens are called that because they broke American Laws coming here and working here. They are what they are. Put lipstick on a Pig and it still is a Pig.
I always wondered why there were no american workers there.
Wake up & smell the Navy Grog. There are NO good chinese restaurants in Maine. The closest & best in New England is in Chinatown in Boston.
There are, you just need to have friends in the kitchen.
Chopsticks in Bangor is quite good, actually.
Make me barf! Once You’ve had REAL Chinese in Boston, New York, or D.C. the food in other “Chinese” restaurants tastes like wet paper towels.
Shinbashi in Ellsworth is very good, IMHO
Pardon me, but shouldn’t these people be charged, tried and convicted of crimes before the Federales just move in and take their stuff?
Seems to me that a lot of our ancestors took up arms against the British King, and his red-coated armies, over trivial stuff like “guilty without trial” kind of things.
Yeah, but that was before the “smart” people started running this country.
They know Waaay more than us, so we just need to shut up and let them do their thing. [/sarc]
These Illegal Criminal Aliens should not even be here never mind give them a trial so that the Government can take away Laundered Drug Money and Slave Money. When Illegals are deported all their cars and furniture are left here, no need to ask. Do you really think these Illegal Criminal Aliens will admit the money is drug money or money for bringing in Illegal Alien Slaves for prostitution. Wake up !
I would guess that, like in similar situations, most of the money laundered came from other sources, like drugs and protection money paid by the illegal employees to their employers for bringing them in to this country.
It’s the old Al Capone shtick. Follow the money and you knew there are crimes which you can’t prove, or people are afraid to testify about, but the money laundering and tax fraud is what it’s all about, anyway.
why don’t they check their IDs and run the illegals out like the Hispanics
I’m absolutely sure you meant to say the “illegal” Hispanics.
wow, that was a terribly naive comment in spite of what you may have intended.
there a lot more to this then whats being told,153.000 is nothing to these people. the feds are after more then some undocumented workers.they been ivestagating them since 2007 and just doing something now. these people are not nice people and you find part of the underground asian moffia very scary people and very powerfull
Speculation? Or inside info?
No. He saw Lethal Weapon 4 like the rest of us.
If they had been reading their fortune cookies they would have seen this coming.
Our Government is run by criminals and will take little action against other criminals, there might be a small fine, a slap on the wrist to make it look good then back to business as usual for them! On the other hand if it were a struggling honest American tax payer behind in their taxes, the Government would seize there house and put them out in the street or in jail with little hesitation!!
and our corporations are run by these same criminals. they lobby the gov’t and get you to vote against your own interests. the republican base is particularly susceptible to this but it happens with every party to some degree.
I wonder if they seized the accounts of Hormel Meat Packing for hiring all those illegal immigrants? Did they seize the accounts of Maines chicken farm operations?
brewers twin super buffet was not that good,trying to be nice , bangors happy china buffet on stillwater is pretty good but nothing beats lincolns wingwahs not sure if they have a buffet but they make the best crab rangoons and sweet and sour soup around
Ever go to a Chinese or Mexican Restaurant run by Illegal Aliens? One perfect scam they have going to screw Federal and Local government out of tax money is to never ring up sales on their cash registers. I have noticed in legitimate Restaurants like McDonald’s all transactions are rung up. Go to an Illegal Alien run restaurant most transactions are done with the cash register draw open all the time and meals never rung up. Great way to never pay sales taxes but the customer is still charged for the taxes.
Yup, good deal, remember Moody’s in Waldoboro never did it either for years.
No evidence needed. No search warrant needed. No justification need. Unlimited jail and no jury trial needed. All bugging permitted and spying. It’s a terrorist war. Who are the terrorists?
They are called illegal aliens and if we were in most other countries in the world the door would have hit their backside months ago.
Too bad the owners are so cheap. Just ate at the restaurant in Brewer…never again. food was all dried up….in the ladies room they have electrical and shipping tape holding the bathroom stalls together. Why hasn’t this place been closed by the inspectors?? Guess they never go there….
The food is all dried up because they are left overs from days before. Reheated, RE-refrigerated if you are lucky. You are lucky you didn’t get sick. Chinese and Mexican food is suppose to be serve with fresh ingredients straight from the hot pan. Dried out food is a tell tale sign the food is old and should have been thrown out days before.
hate to disappoint you but any restaurant that you go to has food that is reheated. Pasta sits in a pot of hot water on the stove all day, and gets served that way, I went to a restaurant and when they gave me meat balls, they had been in the freezer so long that they were freeezer burnt, tasted nasty. A lot of things go on in places, whether it be a buffet of any kind or a five star place.
Glad you eat there because I never would. Guess you don’t know what freshly made food tastes like.
Confusus say, “Man who cook under table get pocket emptied by tax man!”
Confucius was a great man, he even use to post here..
I’ll add my voice to the view that the food served at Twin Super Buffet was incredibly bad. Ate there once. Almost as bad as the Temple of Lose Your Money Fast in downtown Bangor. They even ruined the pudding.
Double, Triple, Super Grand Asian Buffet. Barfff, All set.
Customs and Border Patrol has been doing a lousy job of enforcing our laws for decades. I have always figured that these Chinese restaurants, with their never ending supply of staff that speak little or poor English were illegals. ICE will do ridiculous checkpoints on I-95 but never, NEVER set up in the Chinatown’s of New York City (or Boston, I guess) which seem to be transit points for these illegals coming in to the US. Before this when is the last time that you heard of a raid on these restaurants.
And, guess what–these illegals in Maine will never be deported. They will be released and disappear as a result of the cynical, political dance between that the politicians and border patrol and the ethic (primarily Latino) constituencies. Latinos are holding a gun to the heads of politicians telling them that we have to ignore the law and cater to a nationalistic (and that nation a’int America) and chauvinistic constituency that wants full citizenship rights for folks that were not invited, broke our law, challenge our notion of sovereignty, compete with us for scarce jobs, depress our wages, and (re cost/benefit) use our social services, criminal justice, educational system etc. at a much greater cost than the supposed benefits they provide and often enough would like to turn us into another Latino country because they lost lands to us in the 1800’s (lands that they stole from the native Americans, by the way).
DId I read that right…the employees received up to $2,000 a month clear…plus housing. Beats the hell out of minimum wage!
Yeah you got to wonder what the Illegal Alien Girls were FORCED to do when the Restaurants were closed at night. Made triple the amount of money for the Chinese Mafia during the night then waitress during the day.
The violations listed are not ‘laws’. They are ‘charges’.
Say what you will about this family and their business. This is exactly how the Teapublicans would set this country back with respect to Labor under a Romney, a Santorum, or a Gingrich – being bused to work 70 hours a week for someone else who has complete control over your life for a pittance while living in squalor.
‘Live to work’ not work to live is certainly not my vision for America and the reason Chinese ‘Apple’ factory workers are jumping out windows in China!
No thanks!
Obama 2012.
????????????
I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE YELLING ABOUT!!!!!
twin super buffet…you will be missed.
rip
Used to work next door to the one in Brewer. Never ate there but I also knew better. That place is DISGUSTING and unsanitary……
One other place that was raided about this same time was Berg Enterprises in Corinna.We never did hear how that turned out.
I avoid buffets. Sounds like I haven’t missed much.
This is going on in the West also. A Chinese mob will buy up small businesses throughout the state then stock them with undocumented workers from Asia.
Skimmed 2.9million and all the Feds are after is $153,000? Must be more to this story? Their Waterville buffet has a big logging chain and a padlock inserted through the door handles of the front door.