The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington D.C., USA

Fresh Mark Pays $3.7 Million for Immigration Identity Theft Scheme

Jan. 2, 2025

Salem, Ohio, hiring manager conspired with others to steal identities and give them to illegal immigrants in order to hire them to work for processing meat company.

Andy Hanacek

Fresh Mark Inc., makers of processed private-label meats and brands Sugardale and Superior Brand Meats, entered into a non-prosecution agreement by which it has paid a $3,719,997 penalty and agreed to abide by compliance reporting requirements for a period of two years, in conjunction with an identity theft scheme involving the company’s hiring manager between 2013 and 2018.

Yelwin Omar Munoz-Solis, who was Fresh Mark’s hiring manager for its Salem, Ohio, facility conspired with others to steal the identities of U.S. citizens and give them to job applicants at the company’s facilities, according to a U.S. Dept. of Justice announcement. Munoz-Solis then certified I-9 documents, verifying identity and employment eligibility. He was charged and plead guilty to conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements on immigration forms submitted to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

HSI agents had arrested multiple Fresh Mark employees who used the stolen identities to work for the company between 2013 and 2018. The department served search warrants at Fresh Mark’s Salem, Massillon and Canton, Ohio, facilities in June 2018. It detained 146 workers who were in the U.S. without legal status, and about 30 of those individuals were eventually charged with various federal immigration violations.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.