Man Sentenced for Helping Illegal Immigrants

A 37-year-old Duluth man has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of using his employment agency to help illegal immigrants get jobs at Chinese restaurants.

A federal judge on Monday sentenced Liang Yang on charges of conspiring to harbor illegal immigrants. Three years supervised release will follow his prison term.

Authorities indicted Yang and 10 other employment agency operators on April 15, 2008. Only Yang went to trial. The others pleaded guilty to similar charges and have either been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing.

Evidence presented at trial showed the group of employment agencies was a first stop for illegal Latino workers. Prosecutors said Yang served as a broker between the immigrants and the restaurants.

(Associated Press)