Two Armenians from Florida were indicted for harboring illegal immigrants in Branson, Missouri.  

Indictment was brought against Martin Ghambaryan, 29, and Mikayel Abrahamyan, 34. According to the investigators, their workers were threatened with deportation and forced to live in apartments owned by their employers, news-leader.com reports.

Armenian nationals Ghambaryan and Abrahamyan are legal residents of the United States.

Several years ago they started companies registered by their names, and allowed other people to control the businesses and operate them as labor leasing companies that supplied workers to hotels, restaurants and other entertainment venues in the Branson area. Moreover, Ghambaryan and Abrahamyan themselves concealed the illegal immigrants from detection.

Having no legal authorization to employ seasonal workers from other countries, the companies still routinely employed seasonal workers, who were required to live in certain hotels and apartments owned by the companies.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri,  Ghambaryan and Abrahamyan knew, and acted in reckless disregard of the fact that their companies routinely employed illegal immigrants and workers..