New Bedford Employer Ordered to pay $1 million after Raid

The Associated Press reports that Francesco Insolia, who had pleaded guilty in November,  was ordered to pay $1 million for 18 specific counts of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants between 2004 and late 2006.

The company Insolia owned, Michael Bianco Inc., was raided in March 2007, and federal authorities arrested 361 workers, most of whom were from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.The company was sold to Eagle Industries of Fenton, Mo., more than a year ago. U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock said he received letters from Insolia’s supporters and from former workers praising him as a boss and for his community work.

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