Federal and state law enforcement officers raided Burnstein von Seelen Precision Castings in Abbeville, South Carolina, on Wednesday, as part of a two-year investigation into identity theft and the use of fake identity documents. The operation involved dozens of officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local agencies, Wilson said at a news conference Thursday.
ICE officers detained 48 workers who were taken into custody on alleged immigration violations. The company’s plant manager and its human resources director were arrested on allegations they knowingly hired immigrants in the United States without authorization, Wilson said.
The two company officials were indicted by a state grand jury alongside four other people accused of producing and selling counterfeit U.S. and South Carolina identifications. The fake documents were created using personal information taken from identity theft victims, according to the indictment. The six people now face state charges, including the two top managers at the plant.
Wilson said the investigation demonstrated coordination between state and federal authorities in addressing the use of stolen identities and the employment of unauthorized workers. Additional details about the charges and the identities of those arrested were not immediately released by the attorney general’s office.