By Grok, xAI News Desk
November 20, 2025
In a stunning federal crackdown on human trafficking and labor exploitation, a Metro Detroit couple has been arrested for allegedly employing and harboring nearly 250 undocumented immigrants to fuel the rapid growth of their plumbing business. Moises Orduna-Rios, 36, and his wife, Raquel Orduna-Rios, 30, both of Plymouth, Michigan, face a litany of serious charges that could land them behind bars for years, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The duo, who serve as president and treasurer-secretary respectively of Orduna Plumbing Inc., are accused of orchestrating a multi-state operation that spanned Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. From January 2022 through December 2024, the company allegedly hired 253 workers, with only six confirmed to be legally authorized to work in the U.S. Prosecutors claim the couple knowingly collected the passports of the undocumented employees, transported them across state lines, and crammed them into overcrowded houses and budget motel rooms to maximize profits.
This scheme, investigators say, generated a staggering $74 million in customer revenue between January 2022 and August 2025—money allegedly laundered through a web of financial transactions. Text messages uncovered during the probe reveal the couple’s awareness of the workers’ illegal status, with one exchange instructing employees to “be less visible to law enforcement” to avoid detection.
The arrests on November 18 followed a multi-year investigation by U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. It began with routine traffic stops and escalated into surveillance of Orduna Plumbing vans sporting Michigan plates. Agents tailed the vehicles to parking lots at Walmarts and motels, where they repeatedly encountered groups of undocumented workers exiting the rides. In one dramatic raid this summer in Rochester, New York, nine workers were found huddled in a “small, sparsely furnished residence,” all admitting to illegal entry and employment by the company.
To date, 23 undocumented employees have been apprehended in Buffalo, Rochester, and Charlotte, North Carolina, as part of the probe. The charges against the Orduna-Rioses include conspiracy, transporting and harboring unauthorized aliens for financial gain, employing at least 10 unauthorized workers in a 12-month period, engaging in a pattern of illegal hiring, and money laundering. Each count of harboring carries a potential 10-year prison sentence and fines up to $3,000 per affected worker—potentially totaling millions in penalties.
The case has ignited fierce debate in Plymouth, a affluent suburb known for its liberal leanings and proximity to Detroit’s industrial heartland. Critics decry it as modern-day exploitation, with some pointing to the irony of a Hispanic-owned business preying on vulnerable migrants while undercutting American plumbers’ wages. Labor unions and online commentators have seized on the story, calling for broader enforcement against employers who “steal jobs” through cheap, off-the-books labor.
As the couple awaits arraignment in federal court in Detroit, the fallout for Orduna Plumbing remains unclear. With operations halted and assets potentially seized, this scandal serves as a stark reminder of the human cost behind unchecked business ambition. The investigation continues, and more arrests could follow.
SOURCES:
Western District of New York | Michigan couple arrested, facing multiple charges involving harboring unauthorized aliens, and money laundering | United States Department of Justice
Michigan couple accused of knowingly employing 240+ undocumented workers, housing them in overcrowded spaces | FOX 2 Detroit
Michigan Couple Charged With Making Millions Off Hiring Illegal Immigrants – Newsweek
Rich Michigan couple charged with hiring 200 undocumented workers
Hispanic couple in liberal Michigan town charged with trafficking 247 illegal aliens in forced-labor scheme | Not the Bee
Plymouth couple charged with using 240+ illegal workers for plumbing business
Michigan couple accused of employing hundreds of unauthorized workers in $74M plumbing business
Michigan couple employed 247 undocumented workers, told them to be “less visible to law enforcement,” charges say – CBS Detroit
Plumbers Got Rich Hiring Illegals and Stealing American Jobs – Finally Flushed – Twitchy
Rich Michigan couple charged with hiring 200 undocumented workers
