FILE - Customers visit Abby's Bakery after the owners reopened their doors following their arrest for allegedly harboring unauthorized workers in their building in Los Fresnos, Texas, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez, File)
JCTwo South Texas bakery owners are guilty of concealing and harboring employees in the U.S. illegally, a jury found Wednesday afternoon following a trial that only lasted three days.
, a Mexican couple who have legal permanent residence in the U.S., were charged after being arrested at their bakery along with eight employees in February. It's a rare case in which business owners are charged with criminal offenses rather than just a fine.
Six of the employees had visitor visas, and two were in the country illegally. None had permission to work in the U.S. Employees lived in a room with six beds and shared two bathrooms in the same building as the bakery, according to the federal affidavit.
Baex and Avila-Guel were tried this week in Brownsville, a border city about a 20 minutes’ drive southeast of their Los Fresnos bakery. The jury heard from five government witnesses, including an agent who was present during the raid, before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr. The defense presented no witnesses.
Videos of the interviews with the two employees in the country without visas or work authorization were played during the trial. Both employees said they were not held against their will and were compensated for their work, according to .
Baez’s attorney, Sergio Luis Villarreal, called the verdict “heartbreaking.â€
“We were arguing the lack of concealment, the lack of covertness in all this," Villarreal said. "I mean, there was no exploitation, no abuse. No one was there against their will."
Cesar de Leon, Avila-Guel’s attorney, said he believed in the enforcement of the law but disagreed in the way it was defined in this case.
“We just felt that in this instance, there was really no harboring," he said. "And I think that the law wasn’t designed to target people like Nora.â€
Baez and Avila-Guel were allowed to return to work while they awaited trial. When they reopened their bakery in April, the business had a steady stream of customers return to lend their support. They will continue to be released on bond until their sentencing, which is scheduled for November.
°µÍø½ûÇø. All rights reserved.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service says a blaze that has forced evacuations on …
Two nine-month-old Scottish Highland bulls are making their debut at the Toronto Z…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
