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New Mexico Restaurant Owners Sentenced For Wage Violations

Two brothers who own Chinese restaurants in New Mexico have been sentenced to two years' probation for violating the federal minimum and overtime wage laws.

Prosecutors say 30-year-old Wen Ping Chen of Rio Rancho and 31-year-old Wen Qiu Chen of Santa Fe also were sentenced Tuesday for harboring immigrants who were in the U.S. illegally.

The amount of restitution to be paid by the brothers will be determined at a later date, but the court noted that it'll be at least $120,000.

Ping Chen and Qiu Chen were arrested in August 2013 following an investigation.

Last December, prosecutors say the brothers each pleaded guilty to two counts of a superseding indictment.

Prosecutors say the Chens also have been ordered to forfeit a Rio Rancho home where the illegal immigrants lived.

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