SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas (KETK) – A Sulphur Springs company pleaded guilty to federal felony violations of aiding and abetting document fraud on Wednesday, according to U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.

4T MFG, LLC, a company with common ownership and leadership related to trailer manufacturer Load Trail, has agreed to pay a forfeiture of $5 million after federal agents found the company employed people who were not legally authorized to work in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a 2018 search warrant found that multiple employees had either misleading or fraudulent immigration documentation, and “at least 18 individuals had resident alien cards that had been forged, counterfeited, altered, falsely made, procured by means of false claim or statement and otherwise unlawfully obtained in violation of federal law.”

Two prior CEOs of 4T MFG Cornelio Thiessen, 52, and Kevin Hiebert, 39, both of Honey Grove, have also been charged with misdemeanors related to unlawful employment of aliens and face up to six months in federal prison, according to officials.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin McClendon.