PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The owners of Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville Beach restaurants were charged with harboring undocumented workers and employing them at their restaurants.
In a report released Tuesday, the Department of Justice said Hua Yao Ke, 38, and Ping Ping Zheng, 37, own the Kamiya 86 restaurants in both Jacksonville Beach and Ponte Vedra Beach. Officials said the two hired undocumented workers to work for them at the restaurants.
Additionally, the DOJ said Ke and Zheng also owned a house where they provided rent-free housing to the workers and gave them free rides to and from work every day.
Ke and Zheng also paid the workers in cash without withholding taxes, according to the report.
The two face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.