Federal agents moved in this week and arrested Moises Orduna-Rios and his wife, Raquel, after unsealing a criminal complaint that accuses the couple of running a nationwide plumbing business built on the labor of hundreds of unauthorized workers. The Department of Justice says the pair are charged with conspiracy, transporting and harboring unauthorized aliens, and multiple money-laundering counts tied to their company, Orduna Plumbing.
Prosecutors allege the scheme was not small-time — it amounted to a coordinated effort to employ and hide scores of people for commercial gain. The complaint includes counts for employing at least 10 unauthorized aliens in a 12-month period and engaging in a pattern or practice of hiring those not authorized to work in the United States.
According to the filings, Orduna Plumbing generated roughly $74 million in customer revenue between January 1, 2022 and August 7, 2025, while employing approximately 253 people — only six of whom were confirmed to be legally authorized to work. This was a sprawling operation with footprints in multiple states, and it reads like a deliberate effort to monetize the border crisis while undermining lawful employers.
The indictment paints a grim picture of exploitation: investigators say the defendants confiscated passports, packed workers into overcrowded houses and hotel rooms, and traded messages advising employees to be “less visible” to law enforcement. Federal agents working the case arrested undocumented workers linked to the company in New York and North Carolina as part of a wide investigation into the network.
This is precisely the kind of corrosive shadow economy conservatives have warned about for years — a business that undercuts honest employers by relying on illegal labor, then hides behind corporate structures to shield illicit profits. When profit is prioritized over the rule of law and basic human dignity, it becomes clear why strict enforcement and clear consequences are not merely political talking points but necessities for any functioning society.
The case was handled under a nationwide DOJ initiative dubbed Operation Take Back America, and it involved cooperation among Border Patrol, ICE, and the IRS’s Criminal Investigations division — a reminder that when federal agencies actually coordinate, results follow. The accused made an initial appearance in federal court and face serious penalties if convicted, including lengthy prison terms and fines tied to each unauthorized worker alleged to have been employed.
Americans who play by the rules deserve protection from employers who exploit illegal labor and from a system that allows these schemes to flourish. Accountability in this case is a small step toward restoring fairness for lawful workers and businesses, and it should be followed by tougher enforcement, smarter immigration policy, and zero tolerance for enterprises that turn human beings into disposable cogs for corporate profit.
