Design and Construction Report staff writer
Martinez Builders Supply, LLC, d/b/a East Coast Truss (ECT), a Florida limited liability company, and its former employee, Kelly Yanira Del Valle (Del Valle), have pleaded guilty to conspiring to harbor aliens by means of employment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced on Monday (Oct. 28).
According to the plea agreement, ECT and Del Valle, along with other company officers and employees, conspired to harbor aliens from June 1, 2018, through Aug. 6, 2021. The move came after a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) audit in May 2018 revealed dozens of ECT employees were unauthorized to work in the U.S.
As part of the plea deal, ECT has agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $450,000, while Del Valle has agreed to a forfeiture judgment of $100,000 and to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $100,146.
The plea documents filed with the Court reveal that several of ECT’s officers and employees, including Del Valle, conspired to harbor aliens by means of employment. In June 2018, Del Valle, who was employed by ECT at the time, met with the president and managing member of ECT, as well as an officer manager, to discuss transferring certain aliens employed by ECT, who were not authorized to work in the United States, to Hollys Services, a company set up by Del Valle. This was done to conceal the aliens’ presence from law enforcement.
ECT agreed to pay Del Valle a fee for each alien on Hollys Services’ payroll that worked at ECT. Del Valle, in turn, agreed to recruit and hire additional aliens to work for ECT, who were not authorized to work in the United States, under the guise of Hollys Services, and later Quality Control. These companies were created specifically for the purpose of harboring and shielding aliens from detection.
During the conspiracy, ECT transferred over $1,150,000 to a bank account set up by Del Valle in the name of Hollys Services, and $2,200,000 to a bank account Del Valle set up in the name of Quality Control. Some of the transferred funds were earmarked for the express purpose of paying the aliens who worked at ECT.
On Aug. 6, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at ECT’s headquarters in Saint Lucie County, Fla., and discovered 28 of the 58 employees present to be aliens who were not authorized to work in the United States.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
The HSI Fort Pierce and IRS CI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Porter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Klco is handling asset forfeiture.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/ or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case numbers 24-cr-14019 and 24-cr-14035.
