Manassas Man Pleads Guilty to Hiring Illegal Immigrants

A Manassas man whose concrete company was raided by immigration authorities last month pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Alexandria to hiring immigrants who were not authorized to live or work in the country.

Felisberto J. Magalhaes, 55, is listed in public records as president of CMC Concrete Construction on Sudley Road in Manassas. On March 24, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided the business in what is believed to be one of the largest federal immigration operations in the region in recent years. The agents took 34 Latin American nationals into custody that morning.

Magalhaes pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge of hiring illegal immigrants between 2006 and March 24. U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson sentenced him to one year of probation and ordered him to forfeit $122,000, which court documents said was traceable to his offense.

Workplace immigration raids are unusual in the Washington area.

The workers detained on March 24 -- who came from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and El Salvador -- were charged administratively and placed in deportation proceedings, an ICE spokeswoman said at the time.