A FEDERAL grand jury on Tuesday issued an indictment against an employer, Angel Paras Cruz Jr., charging him with visa fraud, and fraud in foreign labor contracting.
Cruz was summoned by the federal court to appear on May 21 at 3 p.m. to answer the allegations against him.
Cruz is doing business as Villa De Cruz Apartelle and World Electric & Construction Co., Inc. He is charged with eight counts of visa fraud, and five counts of fraud in foreign labor contracting charges.
According to the indictment, “On dates, 12/21/22; 8/9/23; 11/8/23; and 1/31/24…Cruz…did knowingly subscribe as true under penalty of perjury under 28 U.S.C. § 1746, a false statement with respect to a material fact in an application, affidavit, and document required by the immigration laws and regulations prescribed thereunder, to wit: a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Form I-129CW. Specifically, in each instance…Defendant certified his company would pay foreign workers according to CNMI and Federal law, as well as the terms and conditions of the employment contracts submitted with the Form I-129CW, when in truth, Defendant did not intend to pay the workers for all the work they performed and/or pay them overtime compensation for any work performed over 40 hours.”
Cruz also made a false statement in a Department of Labor ETA Form 9142C, the indictment stated.
“Specifically, in each instance…Defendant certified his company would only make deductions from the workers’ paychecks that were disclosed in the ETA Form 9142C or in the workers’ employment contract, when in truth, Defendant intended to make numerous other deductions, to include the cost of their plane tickets to Saipan; their workers’ compensation premiums; fees related to renewing their CW-1 visas, and the purchase of job-related equipment,” the indictment stated.
It added that Cruz also “recruited, solicited, and hired…foreign workers based on the false promises and representations they would be paid for all work performed; they would receive overtime compensation for work performed over 40 hours; and their wages would only be deducted for Social Security and CNMI taxes.”
The indictment included a notice of forfeiture.
Variety was unable to get a comment from Cruz.
