More Trouble for Couple Who Hired 5 Men Who Died in Fire

NOVI, MI – The owner of a Novi restaurant and his wife who hired five undocumented workers who died in a January house fire face more legal problems.

A grand jury last week returned an indictment charging Roger Tam, 55, and his wife, Ada Lei, 48, with harboring undocumented immigrants for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain and conspiracy to harbor undocumented immigrants for the purpose of commercial advantage and private financial gain.

SEE ALSO

• 5 Restaurant Co-Workers Die in Novi House Fire
• All 5 Victims Identified in Fatal Novi Fire
• Employer Charged in Fire That Killed 5 Illegal Immigrants

Last month, the couple were charged with charged with hiring and harboring in an ongoing probe by the Novi Police Department and HSI with assistance from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol and the Oakland County Sherriff’s Office.

The Mexican nationals were provided housing in the Novi home owned by Tam and Lei, and were transported to and from the restaurant, as a condition of their employment. Tam told a Novi detective at the scene of the fire that the deceased individuals were employees at Kim’s Garden whom he paid in cash and allowed to reside in the home’s basement, where smoke detectors had been disabled.

If found guilty, Tam and Lei face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.