Milford man convicted of employing and harboring illegal immigrants

April 10, 2008 12:38 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Globe Staff

A Milford man is facing the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence after his conviction yesterday in federal court of harboring and employing illegal aliens, federal law enforcement officials said.

Daniel Tacuri, 32, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of harboring illegal aliens and 18 counts of employing illegal aliens.

He faces a possible sentence of 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release on the harboring charge, as well as six months in prison for each employment charge. He could also be subject to thousands of dollars in fines.

Documents found during the investigation indicated that Tacuri, an Ecuadoran national who owned a roofing business, employed a number of illegal aliens and they lived either at his home or at other locations provided by him, authorities said.

Judge F. Dennis Saylor set sentencing for July 11, the US Attorney's Office and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a joint statement.

Tacuri and 14 others were arrested before dawn on Dec. 7 by federal agents who burst into his home. A total of 21 immigrants were arrested following a monthslong investigation.

The arrests sent a tremor through the town where the Ecuadoran population has swelled from a few people to about 2,000 in recent years. Tacuri's lawyer and family said in December that he was an immigrant success story who had gotten bad advice along the way.