Blademir Angulo Audeves, 42, was arrested back in July after federal officials were seen detaining workers of his food truck.
PHOENIX — A Phoenix taco shop owner was sentenced to federal prison during the week of Oct. 27 after he pleaded guilty to employing undocumented residents.
Blademir Angulo Audeves, 42, was sentenced on Oct. 28 to 20 months in prison followed by 36 months of supervised release. He was arrested back in July after federal officials were seen detaining workers of the defendant’s food truck.
Court records show federal investigators identified up to 12 undocumented workers who were employed at the Audeves’ taco business. In early July, search warrants were executed at his residence and business, and officials reported seizing three firearms, records show.
Audeves, who owned and operated El Taco Loko, reportedly told investigators the firearms were gifts, but he knew he wasn’t allowed to have guns. He reportedly admitted to illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico in 2021.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of Arizona said the defendant entered into a plea agreement in August for the firearms and employment offenses.
“While the temptation to come to the United States in pursuit of economic opportunities is understandable, the manner in which Defendant did so is a crime,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
The judge sentenced Audeves to 20 months in prison for one count and a six-month sentence for the other count, but the two sentences will run concurrently.
Before the sentencing, the defendant’s counsel emphasized how he was convicted of non-violent offenses and described him as not being a danger to the community.
“Mr. Angulo-Audeves is a hard-working family-man who operated a small business in the Phoenix community he was a pillar of,” defense counsel wrote in a court memo.
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