McDonald's franchisee fined $1m for hiring illegal immigrants

A company that owns 11 McDonald's restaurants in Nevada was fined one million dollars on Wednesday after pleading guilty to employing 58 illegal immigrants.

The company, Mack Associates Inc., knew the employees were illegal immigrants and had offered them names and social security numbers belonging to other people, the US Justice Department said.

The company pleaded guilty in federal court in Las Vegas to conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien's unlawful residence in the United States and aiding and abetting an alien to remain in the country, the department said.

The company's director of operations also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting an alien to remain in the country.

And the former vice president of Mack Associates pleaded guilty to inducing an illegal alien to remain in the United States and faces a possible sentence of up to five years in prison and a 250,000 dollar five.

About 30 of the illegal workers have returned to their native countries while the rest were allowed to stay in the United States until the case closes.