Several law enforcement agencies were on scene at Aztec Framing Contractors Tuesday, April 30, 2019 in Rossville, Georgia. Agents with Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Bartow County Sheriff's and the Catoosa County Sheriff's Officer were on scene throughout the day. As part of a pursuit that dates back at least six years, Homeland Security Investigations agents raided offices in Hixson and Rossville, Georgia, on Tuesday, targeting a construction company CEO on allegations of money laundering.
Juan Antonio Perez, who owns Aztec Framing and Aztec Builders, has operated a multimillion dollar business by underpaying immigrants who are in the United States illegally, according to an affidavit from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent James Rives. Perez is also accused of failing to withhold federal payroll and Social Security taxes.
In addition to the local offices, agents raided a Cartersville restaurant tied to Perez, as well as three Georgia homes he owns.
Perez, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico illegally, paid a team to insulate him, according to the affidavit. Legal residents and U.S. citizens put utility bills and registered cars in their names. One man told agents he acquired a gun for Perez.
According to the affidavit, ICE is pursuing charges against Perez of harboring aliens for commercial advantage and illegal possession of a firearm. Because the business qualifies as "unlawful activity," Rives argued in his affidavit, any spending from the proceeds of the company amounts to money laundering as well.
Rives filed the affidavit in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Georgia on April 24. A judge unsealed it Tuesday after the raids. It was not clear Tuesday night whether Perez has been formally charged as a result of the search.
According to Aztec Framing's website, Perez formed the company in 1988. In 2013, investigators learned that the owners of Tarascos, a Mexican restaurant in Cartersville, were paying employees of Perez's company thousands of dollars a week. The owners, Jorge and Vanessa Cabanas, told investigators in March 2014 that they registered Perez's vehicles in their names.
According to the affidavit, Vanessa Cabanas said she kept the company's books at the time. She allegedly said at the time that Perez employed about 200 people, though he paid them "below market wages" while overstating their wages on Internal Revenue Service tax forms to reduce the business' stated income. Jorge Cabanas also told investigators that he bought a gun for Perez as well.
But, Rives wrote, the Cabanas later told Perez about the investigation against him, suspending the case at the time.
"The Cabanas are still operating a partnership with Perez," Rives wrote. "And the three are frequently seen together at Tarascos."
In one payroll account, according to the affidavit, the company wrote $4.5 million worth of checks between June and January. Perez also allegedly put $740,000 in a business savings account when he opened it in December.
Perez and his family live in a 7,500 square foot home in Bartow County, valued at $1 million. Rives wrote that a tall wall surrounds the home, and utility workers allegedly told investigators that armed guards patrol around the home.
During the search of the Rossville business, located at 1641 LaFayette Road, a handful of vehicles were towed away. According to the affidavit, Perez collects sports cars, including a Camaro, a Corvette and a Porsche. He also bought a home in rural Kingston, Georgia, in 2015.
Rives wrote that he doesn't know the exact price of the purchase because Perez made a collection of payments through checks ranging from $30,000-$50,000. Rives described the property as Perez's "fun house," where "he stores vehicles and other expensive 'toys,' and spends time with women other than his wife."
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.