The former VP of operations for two separate airline mechanic staffing companies was sentenced Thursday to 12 months in prison for making false statements in support of legal permanent resident petitions for dozens of mechanics, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced.

The companies’ staff performed heavy maintenance on aircraft at a variety of airfields nationwide; Eleno Quinteros, Jr., of Chula Vista, Calif., was responsible for recruiting aircraft mechanics from Mexico to work in the US for the companies, and for helping recruits to obtain work visas such as TN or H-2B visas. 

According to the indictment, after assisting his recruits in obtaining work visas to come to the US, Quinteros then agreed to help at least 85 of them pursue legal permanent residency in exchange for unlawful fees. According to the plea agreement, he collected as much as $567,480 from approximately 85 foreign labor workers in connection with the charged applications. Less than half of the money Quinteros collected was actually paid to immigration attorneys assisting with the applications, while Quinteros himself kept an estimated $372,715, according to court filings. Employers are prohibited by law from demanding payment for their fees, including attorneys’ fees.

Quinteros on Aug. 10, 2017, pleaded guilty to a single count of making a false claim in support of an immigration application. He admitted in his plea that the underlying scheme involved more than 25 immigration documents. Quinteros was previously ordered to pay back $292,526 in illegal fees collected from 52 of the identifiable mechanics.