PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 The owner and two managers of an Arizona sushi chain have been arrested on federal charges of harboring illegal immigrants and operating what investigators describe as a human trafficking operation across the East Valley.<\/p>\n
Court documents alleged Yung Lau, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from China, along with two managers, including his brother, kept dozens of undocumented immigrants in four \u201cstash houses\u201d and forced them to work at restaurants seven days a week with no days off. The restaurants involved were Sakura Sushi<\/a> in Gilbert, Mesa and Phoenix and Akita Sushi in Scottsdale.<\/p>\n Federal agents raided the four restaurants and four houses last week, ending an operation that neighbors said was reported to local police as early as 2023.<\/p>\n Neighbors reported suspicious activity for years<\/p>\n Brandy Forman, who lives next door to one of the houses in Tempe, said she knew something was wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had a white van and it would leave at 9 a.m. and come back at 9 p.m.-ish. Right around dark with a van full of guys. They\u2019d all walk in like this, looking down, no eye contact,\u201d Forman said. \u201cI was just super uncomfortable with just the amount of guys and how nervous they looked.\u201d<\/p>\n Gary Gallagher, who lives across from another house in Mesa, described similar observations.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were very self-conscious; if you looked at them, they turned their back,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cYou would never see them outside.\u201d<\/p>\n Court documents show neighbors called Tempe Police with concerns in 2023 and 2024. Tempe Police said their \u201cpatrol squad attempted to gain intel but were not able to establish any probable cause.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilbert police were also alerted in May of last year. They told Arizona\u2019s Family Investigates that what was reported \u201cwas not criminal activity\u201d and there was \u201cno mention of immigration.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal investigation reveals operation details<\/p>\n Immigrations and Customs Enforcement began investigating in March, according to court documents. Undercover agents at the Phoenix restaurant noticed \u201cChinese employees directed tasks and work of the employees of Hispanic ethnicity,\u201d and the Hispanic employees had \u201climited interactions\u201d with customers.<\/p>\n A former ICE agent who reviewed the complaint said it was \u201cbigger than your usual cases of worksite enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n Court documents show about 10 illegal immigrants stayed at the Tempe house, while others were housed at locations that helped run restaurants in Mesa. Workers were driven between the houses and restaurants daily in white vans.<\/p>\n Lau and Zhen Liu are both charged with harboring illegal aliens and knowingly employing unauthorized aliens.<\/p>\n Lau\u2019s home was also raided during the operation. His attorney declined to comment on the charges.<\/p>\n Qin Liu, who is listed in court paperwork as being the brother of Lau, is charged with harboring illegal aliens.<\/p>\n Some of those illegal immigrants who were in the \u201cstash houses,\u201d are being held as material witnesses in the case. The three are slated to be in federal court for a hearing on Dec. 30.<\/p>\n Arizona\u2019s Family Investigates has reached out to attorneys for Qin Liu and Zhen Liu for comment.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here<\/a> with a brief description.<\/p>\n