A Detroit restaurant owner and his wife have been charged on Friday with harboring immigrants in the United States without permission after a fire at his house that killed five employees.
Roger Tam, aged 55, was arrested on Thursday and is due to appear in court on Friday afternoon. His wife, Ada Lei, aged 48, has also been charged, but hasn’t been arrested due to an undisclosed reason.
Five Mexicans lived in the basement of the home owned by Roger Tam in northwest Detroit while working at Tam’s restaurant.
The men who died in the fire have been named as Brayan Contreras, 16; Leonel Rodriguez, 18; Simeon Nunez, 18; Miguel Diaz, 23; and Pablo Encino, 23.
The basement had stairs to the first floor but windows would prevent any escape during an emergency.
Tam owned the home where he let the immigrants sleep as a condition of employment at his restaurant.
The case also shows that there was no mention of any people sleeping in the basement when a 911 call was made regarding the fire.
‘My house is on fire,’ the caller stated.
‘OK, and do you see flames?’ the dispatcher asked.
‘Ah, in the basement,’ the caller responded.
‘OK, are you able to get everyone out of the house?’ the dispatcher asked.
‘Yes,’ the caller responded, according to the Free Press.
The charge that Tam and Lei face carries a ten-year prison sentence and also a $250,000 fine.
