MCSO Raids Valley Business; Employees Suspected of Identity Theft

PHOENIX - Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies executed a search warrant at a valley business for 25 workers suspected of identity theft and fraud.

A three month investigation revealed that Valley View Building Services, Inc. has at least one employee working on the Fort Huachuca military post in Sierra Vista, Arizona and was found to be in the U.S. illegally.  The business was hired to clean new buildings at the Army post and the employee entered with a valid Arizona driver's license.

"Sheriff Joe says we should have known he was illegal. I'm not exactly sure how we do that. Is it because he was brown? I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know how we're supposed to find that out." said Valley View Building Services' owner, Joel Votaw.

Five women were arrested at the business and Sheriff Joe Arpaio says more arrests are on the way.  Four are in the country illegally carrying false identification. Arpaio also said one woman tried to conceal her Mexican ID inside an enchilada. 

A U.S. citizen was also arrested on an outstanding warrant.

The sheriff's office frequently raids workplaces in the greater Phoenix area looking for people in the U.S. illegally. They target workers who use false identification to obtain work.

Votaw says he uses E-Verify for all of his employees.

"We've done everything legally we could've possibly done..that goes back to Sheriff Joe's point of after E-Verify, we need to do more, I just ask what that more is. Is there something legal that we're not aware of as business owners that we should be checking? Because I don't think that we can just..fire people based on accusations or suspicions that they might be here illegally."

E-Verify is a system which allows businesses to determine if someone is allowed to work in the United States.

Sheriff Arpaio plans to do another crime sweep on July 29, no matter what happens with Arizona's immigration law.

Watch Sheriff Arpaio's news conference: