Greg Leon, Pattern of Hiring Illegal Aliens, South Carolina 2023

Columbia, South Carolina – On no specific date mentioned, 49-year-old Greg Leon, of Lexington, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern and practice of hiring illegal aliens, a violation of 8 U.S.C. §§ 1324a(a)(2) and 1324a(f)(1).

According to the United States Attorney Bill Nettles, Leon operated eight restaurants in the Midlands of South Carolina. Leading up to May of 2013, Leon engaged in a pattern of hiring and employing individuals that he knew were in the country illegally and not eligible to work.

Over the last two years, Leon cooperated extensively and provided substantial assistance in the investigation and prosecution of former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts. Based on that cooperation, the Government agreed that a sentence of one year of probation and a fine of $180,000 – in addition to the five years of probation and 200 hours of community service imposed by the state court – was an appropriate resolution for Leon’s criminal charges.

Leon previously pleaded guilty in South Carolina General Sessions Court to paying a public official for assistance in violation of South Carolina Code Section 8-13-720. Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established that Leon paid former Lexington County Sheriff James Metts for his assistance on several occasions when Metts helped or attempted to help one of the illegal alien employees that had been arrested.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigation, State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jay N. Richardson and Jim H. May are prosecuting the case.

Contact Person: Jim May (803) 929-3000

Related Federal Cases