REGIONAL BRIEFING

WHEATON

Restaurateurs Plead Guilty to Money Laundering

Two restaurant operators accused of employing illegal immigrants and concealing the profit from their business pleaded guilty to federal money laundering charges yesterday.

Consuelo Solano, 69, of Arlington County and Juan Faustino Solano, 57, of Kensington face prison sentences of 20 years each. Juan Solano, Consuelo's brother, also pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit alien harboring and faces an additional 10 years.

Both are scheduled to be sentenced in September.

The Solanos, who operated the popular restaurant El Pollo Rico in Wheaton, paid their undocumented workers in cash, and Juan Solano helped house them in residences across Maryland, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland. From 2002 to 2007, the Solanos deposited more than $7 million from their business into other business and personal accounts.

As part of their plea, the Solanos agreed to forfeit $7.2 million.

An attorney for Consuelo Solano declined to comment. Attorneys for Juan Solano did not return a phone message seeking comment last night.

-- Matt Zapotosky