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Allen L. Petrie, 48, who owned Star Packaging in Whitewater, hired people he knew were illegal immigrants and had them change their names or Social Security numbers, acts that authorities said amounted to stealing the identities of the numbers’ rightful owners.
Petrie pleaded guilty in July to five counts of conspiracy to commit identity theft. He faced a possible maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $50,000 fine when sentenced Monday.
The firm was raided in August 2006, leading to the arrest of Petrie and 25 Hispanic employees suspected of living in the U.S. illegally.
The city’s Latino community viewed the raid as racially motivated since no Caucasian employees were investigated, but prosecutors and police denied the charge.
Diane Donohoo, assistant district attorney for Walworth County, said Petrie’s records indicate he might have known since the mid-1990s that some employees were illegal.
“Identity theft is a prolific crime. It has to stop,” Donohoo told the court during Monday’s sentencing. “This is why the state is prosecuting Al Petrie. We’re going to the source.”
“Mr. Petrie is not a champion of the cause of illegal immigrants. He is a businessman,” she added. “He took a risk, and it did not pay out for him.”
Defense attorney Stephen Glynn said his client acknowledged committing crimes, and Petrie accepted responsibility for the subsequent failure of his business that put members of his family and more than 100 others out of work.
Glynn said authorities were making an example out of Petrie for other business owners, and Donohoo agreed.
“I want to cut off the source of illegal employment,” Donohoo said. “I want other employers to think twice before hiring people they should not.”
