The former owner of West Chester PA staffing firm International Personnel Resources, its CFO and two office managers pleaded guilty last week to visa fraud and conspiracy to commit visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania reported.

International Personnel Resources applied for more temporary work visas than its clients needed between January 2003 and December 2008, stockpiling visas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Because each visa is assigned to a specific person, the defendants randomly selected names from a Mexico City phone book and fabricated personal information. If a visa petition was rejected or a client needed more workers, International Personnel Resources would substitute the name of a real person for the fake name.

Michael Glah, the former owner of International Personnel Resources, also pleaded guilty to charges of bringing illegal aliens into the U.S. and conspiracy to commit immigration fraud.

Glah faces a maximum of 95 years in prison, including a mandatory five-year prison term and up to a $2.5 million fine. CFO Theresa Klish and office manager Mary Gillin both face a maximum of 15 years in prison and fines of $500,000.

Emily Ford, an office manager at International Personnel Resources, also pleaded guilty to encouraging or inducting an alien to unlawfully enter the U.S., according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Ford faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and a $750,000 fine, according to earlier information provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

They will be sentenced later this year.