A popular Chinese restaurant along Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City remains closed Friday evening and is now the target of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigation.
The criminal complaint against Danny Cheng, owner of Dragon Kitchen, was filed in federal court. (KRCG)
The criminal complaint against Danny Cheng, owner of Dragon Kitchen, was filed in federal court.
It accuses Cheng of employing undocumented workers.
The investigation follows a 2024 lawsuit in which Cheng owed employees over $900,000 in unpaid wages.
According to the court affidavit, a special agent with Homeland Security interviewed the Dragon Kitchen employees who were owed almost a million dollars in unpaid wages.
According to the court document, the investigation uncovered several undocumented workers employed at Dragon Kitchen.
The owner, Danny Cheng, is now facing accusations of concealing them.
According to the criminal complaint, Cheng rarely provided staff with W-2 forms for tax filing, and he did not issue paystubs showing employees’ hours.
And in the affidavit, the investigation revealed how the undocumented workers were being housed at a residence owned by Cheng at 811 Crestmere Court in Jefferson City.
It was described as a dormitory of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and China, where people were frequently moving in and out.
One employee accused Cheng of transporting several Chinese and Hispanic people throughout the country without papers via Florida, Chicago, and California every week and outsmarting law enforcement.
As it stands now, Dragon Kitchen is closed, and its owner is accused of knowing, concealing, and harboring undocumented immigrants, employing them to work here.
Dining and Cooking