A Caldwell-based seed company has agreed to pay $200,000 in penalties to settle allegations that it illegally discriminated against citizens from outside the U.S.
The Idaho Statesman reports that the Justice Department announced the settlement with the Crookham Company on Monday.
A federal investigation from 2014 to earlier this year found that Crookham required non-U.S. citizens to show either a permanent resident card or employment authorization card to prove they were authorized to work. U.S. citizens had been allowed to produce any type of valid documentation.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, all workers can provide any type of valid documentation to prove their work authorization.
Crookham CEO George Crookham says the violations resulted from "oversight and misunderstanding" and that the errors were immediately corrected.