Post Falls arrests close restaurant

Police arrested the owners and two employees of a Post Falls restaurant for allegedly being in the United States illegally.

The Buffet Castle at 740 N. Cecil Road closed early Wednesday after the individuals were detained. The action concluded a three-month investigation by Post Falls Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It was the most extensive illegal immigration investigation to date for Post Falls police, Lt. Greg McLean said Thursday.

Those arrested included You-Yao Li, 36, and You-He Li, 34, two brothers who own the restaurant, which features international cuisine. The men were born in China and are Canadian citizens who are in the United States illegally, police said.

Also arrested were Feng Bin Liu, 46, of China and Jakarta Selata Pasanggrahan, 37, of Indonesia.

All four were taken to the Spokane Border Patrol office to start their deportation process.

The investigation was triggered by an incident several months ago in which owner You-Yao Li fought with an employee, who complained to police, McLean said. Officers discovered that the employee was here illegally.

“It sparked my interest to who do we have in the restaurant,” McLean said.

The 180-seat restaurant, which opened in summer 2005, is closed indefinitely, police said.