Romans fined by Immigration and Customs Enforcement

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Dale Romans, the Eclipse Award-winning trainer for 2012, has been assessed a fine of $150,000 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the trainer said on Tuesday, for violations related to paperwork for his employees.

The fine was first reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal. At Churchill on Tuesday, Romans said that his lawyers are appealing the fine and that he does not believe that he violated any regulations. He stressed that the fine does not relate to any of his racing activities.

“This is a small-business issue, where the government is trying to prove that they know what they’re doing, and all they’re doing is showing what they don’t know,” Romans said.

Officials for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond on Tuesday to requests to confirm details provided by Romans.

Romans said that the fines related to I-9 forms, which are used by employers to verify that their employees are legally in the country. The forms are widely used by employers in the economy’s agricultural and animal sectors, which rely on immigrant labor.

“We’ve got pretty good records for a small business,” Romans said. “We’ve probably got better records than anyone here.”