Dunkin' Donuts manager pleads guilty to employing illegal aliens

PORTLAND, Maine - On Dec. 13, 2010, George Valvanis, 53, of Atkinson, N.H., pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a pattern or practice of recruiting or hiring illegal aliens unauthorized to work in the United States, and to one count of using a false attestation in an immigration document, announced U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II of the District of Maine. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to court records, Valvanis managed several Dunkin' Donuts stores located in the Portland area. Between 2001 and 2009, he knowingly employed 18 illegal aliens to work in his stores. Valvanis faces a maximum prison term of five years on the false attestation charge and six months on the alien hiring charge.

"ICE HSI will hold employers who knowingly hire an illegal workforce accountable for their actions," said Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Boston. Foucart oversees ICE HSI throughout New England. "Our office will continue to investigate and find employers who flout our laws and hire illegal labor, in order to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce. ICE HSI will use enforcement tools, civil and criminal, when appropriate to bring about compliance."

Sentencing before U.S. District Judge D. Brock Hornby is scheduled for April 2011.

Effective worksite enforcement plays an important role in the fight against illegal immigration. ICE has developed a comprehensive worksite enforcement strategy that promotes national security, protects critical infrastructure and targets employers who violate employment laws or engage in abuse or exploitation of workers.