Special to the NEWS
BROWNSVILLE, TX —Two owners of Abby’s Bakery in Los Fresnos were sentenced last week following the discovery of illegal aliens at their business, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
After a three-day trial on August 13, 2025, the jury deliberated for about three hours and found Leonardo Baez-Lara, 56, and Alicia Avila-Guel, 46, guilty of two counts of harboring aliens and conspiracy to do so.
U.S. district Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. has now imposed a four-month term of imprisonment on both and further ordered them to serve two years of supervised release and pay a $21,300 fine each.
At the hearing, the court heard that the pair harbored six or more illegal aliens at their place of business.
In handing down the prison terms, Judge Rodriguez noted that they engaged in serious criminal conduct, contrary to the behavior of law-abiding citizens. The two could also lose their right to reside in the United States.
“For years, these defendants knowingly employed and harbored illegal aliens, disregarding federal law for their own financial gain,” said Ganjei. “Today’s sentences serve as a warning to any business owner who believes they can distort fair competition by utilizing a workforce of illegal aliens. It’s not worth running afoul of the law just to make a quick buck.”
“The couple’s deliberate disregard for the law and the safety of their workers cannot go unpunished,” said acting Special Agent in Charge John A. Pasciucco of HSI San Antonio. “Those who exploit vulnerable individuals and undermine our immigration system will face firm and decisive consequences.”
The married couple, both legal permanent residents, owned and operated Abby’s Bakery and Dulce’s Café since 2012. Authorities found that they employed and housed workers who were in the country illegally or on B1/B2 visas without authorization to work.
The jury heard the couple housed employees in a small office at the shopping plaza near the restaurant.
The room, originally built as an insurance office and later used for storage, had mattresses on the floor and unsafe conditions, including exposed wiring, only one entrance, and no fire extinguisher.
At times, five to six workers lived there, including the head baker, who stayed more than two years, according to a DOJ press release.
Testimony revealed that workers were paid in cash, lacked paperwork, and at times went months without hot water.
One man testified that he entered the United States illegally and was immediately hired after a brief interview. Another said that Baez-Lara arranged his return after he was removed during the COVID-19 pandemic so he could continue working.
The defense argued that the owners provided only shelter to the aliens and that the testimony did not show harboring. The jury rejected those claims and found the owners guilty as charged.
After a three-day trial, the jury deliberated for about three hours before finding the couple guilty.
The married couple are legal permanent residents and lived in Los Fresnos, according to the DOJ’s news release.
At trial, the jury heard testimony about an enforcement action that took place on February 12 at the location in question.
As more workers were hired, the couple provided this area to several undocumented individuals.
The jury also heard that, for the four months before the arrests, the workers had hot water on only two occasions.
Evidence showed that the worksite enforcement action also led to the discovery of two illegal aliens unlawfully present in the country and six B1/B2 visa holders who were not authorized to work in the United States.
Testimony also revealed that the business failed to file the proper paperwork and ignored its accountant’s advice to stop paying in cash.
One worker had arrived at the bakery after a friend in Mexico referred him.
Further testimony revealed that another worker had been employed at the bakery without authorization and was removed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon reentering the country illegally, he contacted Baez-Lara, who then gave him a ride back to Los Fresnos, where he continued working and living.
The defense attempted to convince the jury that the owners offered only shelter to the aliens and that the testimony did not show harboring.
“The jury’s verdict vindicates the American people’s mandate that our immigration laws be fully enforced,” said Ganjei. “Business owners who put profits over their fellow citizens by harboring illegal aliens should be advised that the Southern District of Texas will not look the other way.”
“The jury’s verdict affirms that the defendants knowingly conspired to harbor individuals in the country illegally, committed two separate acts of harboring, and did so for personal financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) San Antonio.
“These actions not only violate federal immigration laws but also exploit vulnerable individuals for profit. This conviction sends a clear message: those who engage in human smuggling and harboring for financial benefit will be investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” he added.
Baez-Lara and Avila-Guel faced up to 10 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
ICE-HSI conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America. According to the DOJ, this nationwide initiative marshals the full resources of the DOJ to repel illegal immigration into the United States, eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect American communities from perpetrators of violent crime.
Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources across the DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods, according to the DOJ’s press release.
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