DETROIT (Michigan News Source) — Federal agents say a metro Detroit steakhouse owner wasn’t just grilling hibachi, he was running an illegal-labor pipeline out of two suburban homes.
A new federal forfeiture filing accuses Yong Ni, owner of three Kyoto Japanese Steakhouse locations in Royal Oak and Shelby Township, of housing illegal immigrants in makeshift living quarters and shuttling them to work 12-hour shifts. Ni has not been charged, but agents have seized three vehicles and more than $14,000 in cash tied to the investigation.
Agents first crossed paths with Ni in May 2024, when a search of his Shelby Township house turned up a dozen people living in “substandard” conditions. Most lacked legal status; several were later spotted working at Ni’s restaurants.
By early 2025, federal surveillance ramped up. Homeland Security Investigations ordered Ni to provide employee lists and immigration documents. Investigators say the paperwork revealed multiple workers using fake green cards and Social Security numbers.
Court filings also describe a daily shuttle system: workers loaded into a Chevy Express van, a Honda Odyssey, or a Toyota RAV4, dropped at side doors around 10:30 a.m., and collected again around 10:30 p.m. Similar patterns were documented at both the Shelby Township and Royal Oak locations.
Workers reportedly told investigators they lived rent-free so long as they kept working at the restaurants, with friends or family members often driving them to and from shifts.
On May 1, federal agents raided Ni’s properties again and arrested 12 illegal aliens. Prosecutors now argue the seized vehicles and cash were tools of an illegal harboring and employment scheme.
The investigation remains active.