A 35-year-old Chinese man, Ping Ye, from Amherst County, New York, admitted to conspiring to transport illegal immigrants within the United States for economic gain. Federal prosecutor Michael DiGiacomo announced on October 14th that Ye pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, with the specific sentence to be determined by the court.
Ye is the owner of the “Sushi Queen” restaurant on Delaware Avenue in Tonawanda, New York. According to investigations, on February 5, 2025, local authorities intercepted a van registered under Ye’s name, driven by his accomplice, Wenjie Xu, with five passengers on board.
During the traffic stop, Xu, who did not speak English, called Ye to speak with law enforcement on his behalf. Xu claimed that the five individuals in the vehicle were friends visiting from New York City for a few days, not his employees. Ye asserted that the five individuals resided at his residence on Garrison Street.
However, investigations revealed that these five individuals had actually been living in the western region of upstate New York for several months to over a year, and had been working at the “Sushi Queen” restaurant. At the request of authorities, U.S. Border Patrol agents rushed to the scene, arresting Xu and the five passengers. Subsequent inquiries confirmed that Xu was an illegal Chinese immigrant residing in the United States, while the five passengers were also illegal immigrants from Guatemala.
On February 7, 2025, Border Patrol agents monitored Ye’s residence on Garrison Street and arrested two additional Guatemalan citizens staying in the country illegally. Later on March 25 of the same year, investigators executed a search warrant at the “Sushi Queen” restaurant, discovering personnel files of multiple employees but not finding any records related to the seven Guatemalan individuals mentioned earlier.
The court will schedule a separate sentencing date for Ye.