Two immigrants from Mexico were convicted by a Texas jury on Wednesday of harboring illegal aliens at their bakery near the southern border. 

Leonardo Baez-Lara and Alicia Avila-Guel were found guilty of two counts of harboring aliens and conspiracy at their business in Los Fresnos, Texas. The married couple, who are lawful permanent residents from Mexico, employed and housed illegal aliens at the shopping plaza they owned, federal investigators said. 

“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. “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.”

Baez-Lara and Avila-Guel could face up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and lose their legal status upon sentencing. They are set to be sentenced on November 18. 

Testimony during the trial revealed that the pair provided a room for employees to live in the same shopping plaza as the bakery. 

“It was a rectangular room with mattresses on the floor and housed two employees at the time of inspection who were unauthorized to work in the United States. Testimony revealed the room was originally an insurance office which became repurposed as a storage area for kitchen equipment. Authorities also found electrical wires which, coupled with the absence of a fire extinguisher and only one entrance, resulted in a safety risk for the inhabitants,” the Justice Department said. 

Investigators said that this room was used by the couple to house illegal workers and that as many as five to six adults lived in the room. 

Other testimony at the trial revealed that the couple failed to file proper paperwork declaring their employees and continued to pay their employees in cash even after their accountant told them not to. 

The case was investigated by ICE and Homeland Security Investigations.

Cesar De Leon, who represented Avila-Guel, claimed the laws against harboring illegal aliens were supposed to be focused on international criminal organizations.

“We believe that these were hardworking people, and they employed hardworking employees and they were just here to make a better living,” De Leon said. “I believe these laws were supposed to target international criminal organizations, stash houses, human trafficking.”

The Trump administration has sought a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration and has brought a few cases against business owners for employing illegal aliens.