Federal prosecutors said on Wednesday that the operators of an El Cajon-area business that was raided by federal agents earlier this year agreed to forfeit hundreds of thousands of dollars and that its human-resources manager had pleaded guilty to “to engaging in a pattern or practice of hiring undocumented immigrants without authorization to work in the United States.”
In March, federal agents swarmed San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings’ warehouse on Magnolia Avenue and detained numerous individuals at the business, which specializes in paint and coatings, including for military and government vessels.
Prosecutors said the company’s general manager, John Washburn, employed undocumented workers and let them live inside the company’s warehouse. Washburn pleaded guilty earlier this year to engaging in a pattern or practice of employing aliens, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service…