One immigrant’s story of what it means to be undocumented
There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. each with their own unique story.
The FBI is investigating a metro Detroit restaurant owner for allegedly housing undocumented immigrants in substandard conditions.Prosecutors allege the owner had the immigrants work illegally at his three Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse locations.The government has seized three vehicles and over $14,000 in cash allegedly tied to the scheme.
The FBI is investigating the owner of three suburban Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse restaurants, alleging he housed at least a dozen undocumented immigrants in “substandard” living conditions and had them driven to and from his restaurants to work illegally, according to new court filing in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Prosecutors allege the businessman let the undocumented immigrants live in his Royal Oak and Shelby Township homes rent-free, in exchange for them working in his restaurants, where they allegedly worked 12-hour days.
These allegations are spelled out in a Nov. 12 forfeiture filing in which federal prosecutors say the government has seized a van, a minivan and a sports utility vehicle, all of which were used in an alleged immigration scheme involving two Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse restaurants in Shelby Township and one in Royal Oak. The FBI also has seized more than $14,000 in cash allegedly tied to this scheme, the court filing states.
The owner of the restaurants, identified in court filings as Yong Ni, has not been charged. As of the afternoon on Nov. 12, efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.
According to the forfeiture filing, the FBI first encountered Ni in May 2024 after executing a search warrant on one of his homes in Shelby Township, where agents said they encountered 12 individuals staying in “substandard” living conditions. Of the 12, four were in the process of immigration proceedings while the others were in the United States illegally, court records state.
The FBI says that while conducting surveillance at one steakhouse in Shelby Township, agents saw multiple workers being transported to and from the restaurant in a 2020 Chevrolet Express Van and a Toyota Rav 4 from nearby homes. The workers would enter the restaurant through a side door, and worked 12-hour days, from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
On May 1, the FBI raided a home in Royal Oak and Shelby Township and arrested a dozen undocumented immigrants — all of whom worked at the Kyoto Japanese Steakhouses.
In the filing, federal prosecutors argue the government is entitled to the following property and money that was seized by the FBI during its investigation of the steakhouse owner: a 2019 Toyota Rav 4, a 2020 Chevrolet G3500 Express Van, a 2021 Honda Odyssey minivan, $2,811.00 seized from a three-bedroom home in Shelby Township and $11,604.00 seized from a five-bedroom home in Royal Oak.
According to prosecutors, FBI agents seized the vehicles and cash during the May 1 raid as potential evidence of crimes committed by the restaurant owner, namely that he knowingly harbored and hired undocumented immigrants and allegedly enticed them with jobs and a place to stay.
Here, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is how the restaurant owner landed on the federal government’s radar:
The FBI first encountered the steakhouse owner in May 2024, after executing a search warrant at his $380,000, three-bedroom home in Shelby Township. During the search, agents encountered a dozen individuals, all of whom admitted that they lived at the home.
“Law enforcement also observed substandard living conditions and numerous areas constructed into smaller living areas for the eleven residents,” federal prosecutors state in court records, noting the agents “warned” the steakhouse owner that “his employees did not have lawful immigration status or work authorization.”
Eleven months would pass before the FBI showed up at the restaurants.
In February 2025, prosecutors state, law enforcement reopened its investigation into the Japanese steakhouses, using surveillance to monitor who entered and left the restaurants and when.
The workers would arrive around 10:30 a.m., enter through a side door, and leave around 10:30 p.m. Two of those workers were the same individuals who were arrested during the May 2024 raid of the Shelby Township home.
During those same hours, agents also observed a Honda Odyssey minivan pick up four to five individuals from a home in Royal Oak, then drop them off at the Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse in Royal Oak. That crew also went home around 10:30 p.m.
While conducting surveillance of the Royal Oak restaurant, FBI agents identified five people working there without work authorization — three of them lived in a nearby home owned by Ni.
In March, federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations served Ni with a notice of inspection at his Royal Oak steakhouse. They requested a list of all employees, their identification documents, and Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification.
Homeland Security agents ended up identifying many of the same individuals who were found living at the Royal Oak and Shelby Township homes during the February raids. According to prosecutors, all had fraudulently obtained permanent resident cards and Social Security numbers for proof of identity and work authorization.
On May 1, the FBI went back to the Shelby Township and Royal Oak homes and arrested 12 immigrants who allegedly were living and working in the United States illegally.
According to federal prosecutors, employees advised federal agents that the owner “allows workers to live rent-free at his residences as long as they are working at his restaurants.” The owner also had close friends or family members drive the employees to and from work.
“Some employees advised that they heard about open positions at the Kyoto Steakhouses through friends and relatives. When a position opened, their friend or family member would speak to (the owner) and he would advise them to come to the restaurant,” the forfeiture filing states, adding that in some cases, Ni would conduct an in-person interview and the individual would begin working.
The illegal employees, prosecutors allege, were never instructed to fill out an application or employment form prior to working at the restaurant.
Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com