Wyoming County Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Immigration Fraud

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Peggy Jill Hendrick, 58, of Pineville, pleaded guilty today to fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents. Hendrick admitted that she falsified employee eligibility verification forms for seven illegal aliens who worked at her restaurant.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 18, 2026, a law enforcement officer inspected the Pineville restaurant owned by Hendrick to check if every employee had a Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. As part of her guilty plea, Hendrick admitted that she falsely told the officer that she possessed a completed I-9 form for each employee. The officer told Hendrick that she had three business days to produce the I-9 forms for review. Hendrick admitted that following the inspection, she prepared I-9 forms for seven employees she believed were highly likely illegal aliens and not authorized to work in the United States. Hendrick further admitted that she deliberately avoided confirming their work authorization before signing the I-9 forms, certifying them under penalty of perjury before turning them over to the officer.

Hendrick also admitted that the same officer discovered she knowingly employed illegal aliens during a 2022 I-9 compliance inspection and warned her she could face criminal and civil penalties for knowingly employing such individuals.

Hendrick's restaurant permanently closed in March 2026, following the execution of a federal search warrant at the business. Hendrick is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Hendrick will also forfeit a house in Pineville she owned where six of the illegal aliens lived, and will not contest a $25,000 forfeiture money judgment.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG), and the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 5:26-cr-124.

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