[ilbegone]

Rancho Cucamonga furniture company executives charged with hiring illegal immigrants

By Melissa Pinion-Whitt

11/02/2010

Prosecutors on Monday charged the president of a Rancho Cucamonga furniture company with hiring illegal immigrants and lying about their employment status to federal investigators.

Rick M. Vartanian, 57, of Ladera Ranch has been charged with obstruction of justice and employing unauthorized workers, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security received an anonymous tip in 2009 that Brownwood Furniture was using unauthorized labor.

Hiring records in July 2009 showed 61 of the company's 73 employees had submitted invalid documents to obtain their jobs.

Brownwood executives told Homeland Security investigators the unauthorized workers had been terminated.

Federal investigators searched the business five months later and discovered the company had 30 unauthorized workers. Eighteen of those workers were among the ones executives claimed to have fired in July.

Also charged in the case was Michael Patrick Eberly, 48, of Rancho Cucamonga. Eberly, the vice president of Brownwood Furniture, is accused of continuing employment of unauthorized workers.

Prosecutors charged him Oct. 12 and he is expected to make a court appearance Nov. 19, ICE officials said.

Vartanian could face as much as 66 months in prison. Eberly faces as much as six months in prison.