Sarith Kit: Former Koo Wee Rup Vizzarri Farms manager jailed for using illegal workers
A dodgy manager who took part in a scheme that used illegal foreign workers on a Koo Wee Rup farm has learnt his fate.
Bass Coast News
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A dodgy farm manager involved in an illegal foreign worker scheme at a Koo Wee Rup property has been jailed.
Sarith Kit, 48, pleaded guilty in the County Court on March 22 to charges including allowing unlawful non-citizen to work, allowing a lawful non-citizen to work in breach of a work-related condition and dealing with proceeds of crime worth $100,000 or more.
The court heard Kit’s crimes happened between August 2015 and December 2016.
Kit was second-in-charge and had oversight of the day-to-day operations at Vizzarri Farms in Koo Wee Rup.
The Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police raided the farm on December 2, 2016.
Authorities found 89 illegal workers operating inside a packing shed.
The men and women, who were recruited by “word of mouth”, were employed on a casual basis to pack broccoli and asparagus grown on the farm.
The award rate for casual shed workers at Vizzarri Farms was $22.13 per hour but the women were paid $14 per hour, men $15 per an hour and drivers paid $19 per hour.
The court also heard Border Force investigators raided Kit’s Keysborough home and seized $403,940 in cash.
The money was found in different locations in the house including in the master bedroom and a safe underneath the staircase.
Kit’s lawyer Simon Moglia said the 48-year-old lost his job at Vizzarri Farms and now works in a refrigerator factory.
“(He) is not a troublemaker,” Mr Moglia said.
“He is regarded well by a variety of people in his community.”
Judge Gregory Lyon said the father-of-two, who migrated from Cambodia in 1993, was “aware” of the arrangement and “reckless” to the workers entitlement to work.
Judge Lyon said Kit was “previously a person of good character” but deterrence was important.
“The message must be sent that dealing in and amassing a sum of money from criminal offending cannot be tolerated,” Judge Lyon said.
Kit was sentenced on April 12 to serve at least five months of a 14-month prison term, pending good behaviour and fined $40,000.
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