A Novi man and wife charged with harboring five Mexican illegal border crossers who died in a house fire are due in court today for sentencing.
55 year old Roger Tam and his wife pled guilty in Detroit Federal Court early this year to five felony counts of harboring aliens who were living here illegally.
They admitted that the victims were employed at the couple’s Kim’s Garden restaurant in Novi and were paid in cash and allowed to live in the basement of a home he owned in Novi.
At issue though, is whether the couple can be held responsible for the deaths.
Defense attorneys say it was simply a tragic accident, probably caused by careless smoking.
Prosecutors note that a smoke detector had been intentionally disabled by Tam’s wife because it kept going off and that the couple had put the victims in harms way by allowing them to be in the country illegally.
If the judge decides the couple was responsible for the loss of life, they could be given prison sentences.
If not, defense attorneys say they plan to ask for probation.