PORTLAND, Maine - Two restaurateurs who pleaded guilty to hiring 10 or more people who were living in the U.S. illegally are going to prison.
A federal judge on Monday imposed sentences of 37 months in prison for Guillermo Fuentes and 30 months for his brother, Hector. They pleaded guilty to activities at the Fajita Grill in Westbrook and at the Cancun Mexican Restaurant in Waterville. The brothers also owned a third restaurant in Biddeford.
The two were convicted in 2013 of charges including harboring undocumented workers. But a new trial was ordered because a juror used a racial slur to describe the defendants.
In June, they pleaded guilty to hiring people who were living in the U.S. illegally and to making false statements. They'd faced up to five years in prison.