Sulfur Springs pleads guilty to document fraud and agrees to pay $5 million

PLANO, TX (CBSDFW.COM) — A trailer company based in Hopkins County has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to forgery, officials said Thursday morning.

4T MFG, LLC, based in Sulfur Springs, pleaded guilty to felony charges of aiding and abetting document forgery in federal court on February 15, 2023. The company is closely associated with a trailer manufacturer called Load Trail, sharing ownership. and leadership.

According to court documents, law enforcement officers issued a search warrant at Load Trail and found that several officers were in possession of immigration documents that were fraudulent or misleading.

Federal officials determined that several people working for 4T MFG were not legally authorized to work in the US. At least 18 of them had resident alien cards that were obtained illegally through forgery, forgery of documents, and other illegal means.

As part of the guilty plea, 4T MFG and Load Trail agreed to pay a $5 million fine.

Two previous CEOs of 4T MFG were charged with misdemeanors for illegally hiring foreigners. Cornelio Thiessen, 52, and Kevin Hibert, 39, both from Honey Grove, each face up to six months in prison upon sentencing.