Abby's Bakery worker testifies in day 2 of trial

LOS FRESNOS, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Witness statements continued in federal court on Tuesday, on day two of the trial for the owners of Abby's Bakery.

The Los Fresnos bakery was raided in February after receiving an anonymous tip accusing owners Leonardo Baez and Nora Alicia Avila-Guel of harboring undocumented employees inside the bakery.

The first witness on the stand Tuesday morning was Homeland Security Criminal Investigator Dylan Duke.

Duke testified that he received the anonymous tip and launched an investigation into Abby's Bakery two months before the raid.

During the raid, federal agents found eight undocumented people inside the business, leading to the arrest and charges filed against the bakery owners.

"They were not paying rent to reside there," Duke testified.

The tip also stated that children were inside, but Duke clarified that no minors were found during the raid.

In his testimony, Duke attributed Abby's Bakery employee Gerardo Emmanuel Sanchez Martinez.

"He [Martinez] was not trained or coached to hide," Duke said.

Martinez was the second person to testify on Tuesday, sharing his migrant journey from Tamaulipas, Mexico, into the United States and how he found work at Abby's Bakery.

The Abby's Bakery worker testified that he was not smuggled by the bakery owners and crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on his own.

"I did it on my own," Martinez testified. "Things were difficult in Mexico, and I started talking to a friend and sold my car to come over here."

Martinez says he paid 47,500 pesos (the equivalent of $2,500 in U.S. currency) to cross the border by himself in late September. Once he arrived in the U.S., Martinez learned about the bakery and met with the owners, who hired him as a seasonal worker.

Martinez testified that he was offered but not forced to stay at Abby's Bakery with shelter and food.

As previously reported, an additional room was found in the same shopping plaza where the bakery is located. The extra room was reportedly used to harbor undocumented workers and was equipped with six beds, a TV, and a shower. During his five months living under the owner's roof, Martinez testified that he earned extra money cutting the grass for Baez.

The court entered a one-hour recess at noon before continuing with other testimonies for the second day of trial.

At 4:51 p.m., the court took a recess for the day.

ValleyCentral will be back in the courtroom at 8:50 a.m. Wednesday when the trial resumes.