A Farmington company was among several in Connecticut fined by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's after an investigation aiming to decrease the practice of hiring illegal immigrants.
The company, Prostar Inc. at 7 Corporate Ave., was fined $10,472 in the investigation, which looked at I-9 forms for the company's workers, according to a release from the ICE.
"The inspection of the employers' documents is part of HSI's worksite enforcement strategy that launched in 2009 to reduce the demand for illegal employment and protect employment opportunities for the nation's lawful workforce. This strategy focuses agency resources on the investigation and audit of employers suspected of cultivating illegal workplaces by hiring workers who are not authorized to work," the release stated.
Prostar Inc., launched by former power lifter Victor Rubino, sells nutrition supplements.
The company has been in trouble with federal authorities before.
The New England branch of the Food and Drug Administration issued the company a warning letter in May 2011, saying that inspectors had found a number of violations during an inspection of the Farmington facility in November 2010.
Other Connecticut companies fined by ICE in 2012 include:
- Acranom Masonry Inc. of Middlefield was fined $4,500;
- Calabro Cheese Corp. of East Haven was fined $45,000;
- Contour Landscaping Company Inc. of Stamford was fined $8,104;
- Gourmet Heaven Inc. of New Haven was fined $5,891;
- John J. Masi Company Inc. of Bridgeport was fined $3,276;
- Kingswood Kitchens Company Inc. of Danbury was fined $12,000;
- Leed-Himmel Industries Inc. of Hamden was fined $2,241.25;
- Melissa & Doug LLC of Wilton was fined $1,386;
- Quality Sales LLC of Hartford was fined $2,722;
- Superior Plastics Extrusion Company Inc., aka Impact Plastics, of Putnam was fined $34,000; and
- Villa Brava Grocery LLC of Hartford was fined $2,992.
