Felony immigration conviction, $2 million penalty for construction company that worked for Nashville Symphony, Vanderbilt Children's Hospital

Did unvisaed men and women do the "amazing work" at Schermerhorn?

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports here that Spectrum Interiors will forfeit $2 million in earnings from jobs in which unvisaed labor was used, with the nearby Kentucky councilman and head of Spectrum pleading guilty to a felony.

From the Enquirer:

Fort Wright [Kentucky] Councilman Jeff Wolnitzek has pleaded guilty to using illegal immigrant labor at his Crescent Springs-based construction company.

He will forfeit $2 million earned from employing illegal immigrants, according to a statement released by Wolnitzek's company, Spectrum Interiors.

...

He pleaded guilty on Nov. 21 to one felony count of conspiracy to harbor aliens for commercial advantage for personal financial gain.

The crime Wolnitzek pleaded to is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for each illegal immigrant employed.

...

Besides the Ascent project, Spectrum's 265 employees have worked on other major construction projects, including Schermerhorn Symphony Hall and Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital, both in Nashville, Tenn.

The construction work at the Nashville Symphony's Schermerhorn Center was described as "amazing" in the 2007 Annual Report of the Nashville Symphony, according to a tribute to "everyone" who built it:

Just after the final notes of our Hard Hat Concert on June 28, 2006, composer Joan Tower, conductor Leonard Slatkin and orchestra members tipped their hats in a spontaneous gesture of appreciation to everyone who helped construct Schermerhorn Symphony Center. It signaled a genuine thank-you for the amazing work that delivered our wonderful building, in all its architectural detail and state-of-the-art technology, on budget and on time.

Photo: Nashville Symphony 2007 Annual Report