The president and two managers of a New Bedford leather-goods factory raided in March were indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday in the hiring of illegal immigrants to fill multimillion dollar military contracts.
Francesco Insolia, president of Michael Bianco Inc.; production manager Dilia Costa; and Gloria Melo, a contracts specialist, were accused of taking overt steps to shield illegal workers from authorities and to help them stay in this country.
The Bianco company turned to illegal immigrants to fuel a massive expansion, according to the indictment released yesterday by US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan.
The company's workforce soared from 85 people in 2001 to 650 people in 2006. Since 2001, the company has secured government contracts worth $230 million to make backpacks and other military gear.
The indictment said company officials either knew that workers were in the United States illegally or did not bother to check. But in some cases, the indictment alleged, the officials helped workers procure false papers, gave them advances on their paychecks to help them stay in the country, or gave them advice on eluding authorities.
For instance, in 2005, Insolia allegedly encouraged one immigrant to change his name. Then he and Melo allegedly helped him procure false identification.
In April 2006 Insolia allegedly advised workers here illegally to avoid a public event so authorities would not notice them.
Doug Bailey, spokesman for the Bianco company, declined to comment because company officials had not seen the statements the government released late yesterday. In the past, company officials have denied the government's assertions, and they are expected to plead not guilty.
Insolia, 50, of Pembroke; Costa, 55 of New Bedford; and Melo, 41 of Fall River, will be summoned to US District Court in Boston for arraignment. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and other penalties for encouraging undocumented immigrants to remain in this country. They could face another six months in prison plus a $10,000 fine for each illegal immigrant they hired.
The charges follow criminal complaints lodged against Insolia and three top managers on the day of the March 6 raid on the factory.
The third top official, payroll manager Ana Figueroa, was not named in the indictment yesterday. Sullivan's spokeswoman, Christina Dilorio-Sterling , declined to comment on Figueroa.
At least 361 illegal immigrants, mostly women who cut and sewed backpacks and other gear, were detained in the March 6 raid.
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