Eatery owners, managers charged in federal immigration case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in Missouri have charged more than a dozen restaurant owners and managers in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, accusing them of a racketeering scheme to hire and employ immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. The Kansas City Star reports that the indictment unsealed Wednesday charges the owners and managers with various counts ranging from fraud and conspiracy to money laundering and illegal use of social security numbers. The indictment involves 45 Mexican restaurants across several states that received employment services from Specialty Foods Distribution, a Joplin-based company, and another affiliate. Prosecutors say that over the course of nearly 20 years, the company helped staff the restaurants with people not eligible to work in the U.S.