Phoenix taco shop owner pleads guilty to hiring undocumented workers

Prosecutors say 42-year-old Blademir Angulo knowingly transported, employed, and protected 12 employees, all of whom are not U.S. citizens.

PHOENIX — The owner of a popular taco shop in west Phoenix pleaded guilty to federal charges after authorities said he knowingly hired and housed undocumented immigrants at his businesses for years.

Blademir Angulo, 42, was arrested in July following a four-month investigation by Homeland Security Investigations. Angulo allegedly admitted to employing at least a dozen undocumented workers at his restaurant, El Taco Loko, which operates a brick-and-mortar location, a food truck, and a bus in the West Valley.

Angulo pleaded guilty to one count of alien in possession of a firearm and one count of knowingly employing unauthorized aliens, according to the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona. 

Sentencing is set for Oct. 28. Angulo faces a 15-year maximum sentence for the firearms charge with a maximum $250,000 fine. He faces 6 months in prison and a $3,000 fine for each unauthorized immigrant employed by him, officials said. 

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