A Belle Vernon man was sentenced to more than two years in jail and must pay a $3.6 million fine after pleading guilty to running a temporary staffing agency that provided workers who were living illegally in the United States.
Federal prosecutors said Andy Ha, 28, also failed to pay taxes related to those employees.
Ha pleaded guilty in February to harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and failure to pay employment taxes .
On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and a fine of $3,630,479.13.
Ha was president and owner of Prosperity Services Inc. in Charleroi, where prosecutors said he employed workers without legal status in the U.S. He paid for them to stay in a former hotel and signed false employment tax returns on behalf of the business. Prosecutors said Ha reported fewer than 10% of Prosperity’s employees when filing the business’ taxes.
The fine, with the exception of $500,000, represents the amount due in back taxes..
As part of the plea agreement, Ha agreed to forfeit $959,000 that was seized in February and March 2024.
