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Published Wednesday, February 2, 2000, in the San Jose Mercury News


Landlord, son indicted
Berkeley men accused of immigration violations
BY MAUREEN FAN
Mercury News Staff Writer

A wealthy Berkeley landlord and his businessman son who allegedly imported undocumented workers into the United States on fraudulent visas and for illegal sexual activity were indicted Tuesday on several counts of immigration violations, authorities said.

Lakireddy Bali Reddy, 62, and Vijay Kumar Lakireddy, 30, both were accused of conspiring to bring a woman and two teenage girls into the country illegally between March 1998 and January 2000, according to an indictment by an Oakland grand jury.

Reddy was accused of transporting the two minors ``for immoral purposes'' and with the intent that they ``engage in sexual activity for which a person can be charged with a criminal offense,'' the 11-page indictment said. His son was charged with visa fraud.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Jacobs declined to elaborate on the charges. Attorneys for both father and son did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Reddy -- whose assets have been valued at more than $50 million -- faces up to 70 years in prison and $2 million in fines if convicted on eight separate counts. He is free on $10 million bond.

His son faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if convicted on three separate counts. He is free on $500,000 bond.

Both men are expected to be arraigned on the indictment before a federal magistrate Monday, authorities said.

According to prosecutors, the pair petitioned immigration officials for H-1B and other visas on behalf of workers they said would be employed at Active Tech Solutions in Berkeley. The H-1B visa is reserved for foreign workers with special skills who can perform jobs that are otherwise hard to fill.

Instead, the workers were employed at Reddy's apartment buildings, office buildings and restaurants, according to authorities. Reddy owns the Pasand restaurants in Berkeley and Santa Clara, the indictment said.

One of the undocumented workers arrived in the United States in April. The two teenagers arrived at San Francisco International Airport in August and were met by Reddy, who drove them to an apartment in Berkeley, authorities said.

While father and son could not be reached Tuesday, they have denied the charges in the past. Reddy described the allegations as ``nonsense'' during a jailhouse interview last month as friends and relatives rallied to his defense.

``God and truth are on my side,'' Reddy's son said after prosecutors charged him last week.

Investigations are ongoing both in the United States and in Reddy's home state of Andhra Pradesh in south India. .

Contact Maureen Fan at (408) 920 5579 or at mfan@sjmercury.com .