CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Department of Justice announced that John Washburn, 57, of El Cajon, pleaded guilty on June 18 to knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants while serving as general manager of San Diego Powder & Protective Coatings.
Washburn admitted in federal court that he knowingly employed at least 10 undocumented workers, and that three of them lived inside a company warehouse used to store U.S. Navy submarine parts.
The charges stem from a March 2025 federal search of the company’s facilities. Following the plea, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major sentenced Washburn to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service.
According to court documents, Washburn acknowledged discussing employee documentation issues with other managers. He admitted to referring to certain workers as having “bad paperwork” and acknowledged reassigning employees with proper documents to military sites, where security checks were stricter.
The investigation is ongoing and being led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego, with support from other federal agencies.
