Cessna alerted Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after receiving an anonymous tip, says Bob Stangarone, Cessna's vice president for communications.
"We did some investigation and discovered five people that were using fraudulent documents and working on those fraudulent documents," says Carl Rusnok, Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman.
Pedro Aguilar-Martinez, 51; Roberto Guiterrez, 47; Jose Comacho, 51; Fernando Lopez Inigo, 32; and Homar Vargas-Blanco, 27 were indicted Wednesday afternoon. The list of charges includes using false documents to be employed in the United States, aggravated identity theft, making a false statement on an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form, misusing a Social Security number and making a false claim of U.S. citizenship.
Rusnok says Cessna management cooperated in the investigation.
Cessna is committed to complying with federal law requiring employers to verify employment eligibility, Stangarone says, and conducted three self audits in the last six years in an effort to maintain compliance.
"We're currently reviewing a new Homeland Security background checking system for applicability at Cessna," he says. "As new technology becomes available, it makes your processes more effective."