Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 8/20/18



The owner of a Tennessee slaughterhouse raided by U.S. immigration officials in April agreed to plead guilty to federal charges that Southeastern Provision employed undocumented immigrants.

James Brantley filed guilty pleas covering two counts of willful failure to collect or pay employment taxes, one count of wire fraud and one count of employment of unauthorized aliens in papers filed with the U.S. District Court in Greenville, Tenn.

Brantley admitted to avoiding nearly $1.3 million in taxes, hiring at least 150 undocumented immigrants and withdrawing an estimated $25 million in cash from a local bank for several years to pay the workers on a weekly basis.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) arrested a total of 97 people at Southeastern Provision in Bean Station, Tenn., in an April raid reportedly connected to the federal criminal investigation into tax violations.

Brantley could face a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison when he is ultimately sentenced. He also agreed to repay the IRS nearly $1.3 million and pay more than $125,000 to cover underpayments on workers’ compensation insurance, according to a report from WBIR-TV.

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