KC hotel owner sent to prison for hiring workers illegally

A hotel owner will go to prison for employing workers who were living illegally in the United States at his two hotels.

Munir Ahmad Chaudary was sentenced Monday to 27 months in prison in a case that highlights a shift by the federal government in its handling of immigration-related cases. His wife was sentenced last month to 21 months in prison.

The government is seeking forfeiture of their Clarion hotels in Overland Park, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom says he hopes Kansas business owners are listening. He says violating federal law is “not a good business strategy.”

Prosecutors say that the couple replaced lawfully employed workers with immigrants not authorized to work to cut their labor costs and gain an unfair competitive advantage.

This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 1:17 PM with the headline "KC hotel owner sent to prison for hiring workers illegally."