Michigan couple reaped $74 million by employing hundreds of illegal immigrants, feds say

Robert Snell, The Detroit News on Nov 18, 2025

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DETROIT — A Metro Detroit couple ran a $74 million plumbing empire that employed more than 100 immigrants living illegally in the U.S., according to federal court records unsealed Tuesday, and controlled the operations from a $1.5 million home in Plymouth Township.

The couple, Moises and Raquel Orduna-Rios, were charged in a criminal case in New York that describes a nationwide conspiracy to employ illegal immigrants through their company, Orduna Plumbing. Moises Orduna-Rios, 36, is president and Raquel Orduna-Rios, 30, is treasurer/secretary.

The couple employed approximately 253 people but federal agents were able to confirm only six were living and working legally in the U.S., according to the criminal case. The plumbing company was lucrative, reaping approximately $74 million in revenue since January 2022, and had a national reach with customers in New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, and Tennessee.

The couple hired workers, collected their passports and made them live in overcrowded homes and hotel rooms around the country while working for the plumbing company, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Justen Silva wrote in the complaint.

Workers said they earned $800-$1,500 per week, according to the court filing.

The 27-page criminal case describes a large-scale, black-market operation involving Mexican and Nicaraguan nationals ― and alleges the couple enacted rules earlier this year designed to outsmart President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

"Gentlemen, with all the controversy that is going on, its better to get ready, drive the speed limit, limit yourselves going to the store, only do minimal running of errands, and do not have any gatherings such as barbeques," Moises Orduna-Rios wrote in one group text message to workers Feb. 1.

"Analysts think this won't last long but for greater security, everyone be really careful," he added.

The couple is facing several immigration-related charges, including conspiracy, transporting illegal immigrants for private financial gain and money laundering, charges that could send them to prison for 10 years or longer. They were released on bond Tuesday after making initial appearances in federal court in Detroit.

Their lawyer, Stacey Studnicki, did not respond immediately to messages seeking comment.

The criminal case was unsealed after investigators arrested 23 illegal immigrants working for the plumbing company in Buffalo and Rochester, New York, and in Charlotte, North Carolina since last year.

In early February, agents tracked workers to a rental home in Rochester, New York. They found nine illegal immigrants living in the sparsely furnished 1,500-square-foot home.

"In the course of executing the search warrant, (agents) seized cellphones, mail addressed to 'Orduna Plumbing Inc.,' company credit cards, and employee badges labeled 'Orduna Plumbing,'" the agent wrote.

Out of 253 workers at the plumbing firm, approximately 112 were in the U.S. illegally, the agent wrote. The workers were subject to some form of immigration action or had previously been encountered by immigration officials, according to the complaint.

About 28 workers had overstayed their visas or had visas but were not allowed to work in the U.S.

Investigators found no record in immigration databases of the remaining 107 workers.

"The most likely explanation for the fact that there were no records for any of the approximately 107 workers in immigration databases is that most are illegally present in the United States but have not had any interaction with immigration officials and therefore do not have any immigration records," the agent wrote.

"However, it is also possible that some of these workers are United States citizens who were born in the United States, never applied for a passport, and never traveled outside of the United States," he added.

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