GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The former owner of a Tennessee meatpacking plant where a federal immigration
raid
took nearly 100 people into custody has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
News outlets report 62-year-old James Brantley, who had owned the slaughterhouse in Bean Station, also was sentenced Tuesday to serve three years of probation upon his release.
Brantley
pleaded guilty
in April to tax evasion, wire fraud and employing undocumented immigrants. Court records say he dodged nearly $1.3 million in federal payroll taxes over the past decade and he underpaid employees for overtime work.
The Knoxville News Sentinel
reports
Brantley apologized to his family, the community and the employees Tuesday in court.
Seven workers targeted in the April 2018 raid
have sued
federal immigration authorities, accusing them of mistreating employees during the foray.
