Central American roofing mogul who harbored illegal aliens sentenced to prison

CEDAR RAPIDS – A Costa Rican citizen who harbored illegal alien workers by employing them as roofers in Iowa and elsewhere, and who laundered the proceeds of his criminal activity, was sentenced in federal court in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

Luis Trejos, age 45, a permanent resident alien originally from Costa Rica, who most recently lived in Newnan, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 30 months in federal prison after having pleaded guilty on December 3, 2012, to one count of harboring and transporting illegal aliens, and one count of money laundering.

Trejos was sentenced in federal court in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. In addition to the 30 month prison sentence, Trejos was ordered to pay a special assessment of $200.00, and will be required to serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Evidence presented in the case showed Trejos had worked as a roofing contractor for several years in various communities across the country. In March 2012, Trejos agreed to perform roofing work for an eastern Iowa roofing company. Trejos arranged for workers to come to Iowa and work with him for the roofing company. These workers were neither lawfully present nor authorized to work in the United States. Trejos also hired other workers in Iowa who were not authorized to work in the United States. Trejos admitted he knew and recklessly disregarded the fact that the workers had come to and remained in the United States in violation of law. Trejos admitted he took no action to verify the legal status of the workers. Trejos also performed similar work for a company in Kentucky in 2012.

In sentencing Trejos, Judge Reade noted the broad scope of Trejos’s conduct and the role he played in organizing and managing the criminal activity.

Trejos will be held in United States Marshal’s custody pending transport to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Richard L. Murphy and investigated by Homeland Security Investigations.