Chesco woman gets probation in visa fraud

A Chester County office manager who admitted helping obtain hundreds of fraudulent temporary-worker visas for illegal immigrants was sentenced in federal court Monday to three years' probation - starting with four months of house arrest - and a $50,000 fine.

Mary H. Gillin, 61, of Downingtown, was working for her brother, Michael T. Glah, 49, who owned and operated International Personnel Resources of West Chester, a company that recruited workers from outside the United States for clients such as landscapers and country clubs and then helped secure work visas for those workers. Gillin pleaded guilty in December, along with Glah; his wife, Theresa M. Klish; and another employee, Emily V. Ford.

The defendants admitted using names drawn randomly from a Mexican telephone book on falsified visa applications, submitting the forged documents to the U.S. Department of Labor, and coaching immigrants to lie to immigration officials to obtain work permits. Glah also pleaded guilty to transporting three illegal aliens into the United States. He is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 23; Klish and Ford on June 1.   - Kathleen Brady Shea