SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Anyone hoping to eat at Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet on 41st Street in central Sioux Falls will be met with locked doors and a sign saying “limited staffing.”
But while the doors are closed, a former owner, a former manager and another alleged accomplice are now free to go while they wait for their days in court.
Notice of high-risk offender’s release to Huron
A federal judge released Hui Weng, Min Lin and his wife Jin Ju Pan on personal recognizance bonds Monday; they are accused in federal court papers of harboring people who didn’t have permission to be in the country. Alleged crimes took place between 2014 and 2023, with court documents accusing the trio of working together to employ foreigners for their alleged financial gain despite knowing these workers didn’t have permission to work in the country.
Court papers say workers were allegedly paid with cash after subtracting the costs of rent and meals in addition to transportation to and from work.
Court documents unsealed Friday say searches on Aug. 8, 2023 turned up two stashes of cash inside the restaurant: one totaling $109,075 and another totaling $12,530.
“We noticed out back that there were, oh I think we counted eight black, unmarked vehicles, and somebody was getting out and putting on a police vest,” Rod Moeller, owner and general manager at the Re-Bath Store located to the immediate west of Hibachi Grill, told KELOLAND News in August 2023 in a report about an apparent raid at the restaurant.
Court proceedings on Monday revealed that investigators discovered an additional $125,000 at the restaurant in recent days in 2025. Judge Veronica Duffy told the court that all three defendants have been in the area for more than 10 years, with Duffy giving the defendants instructions to follow the law, stay in touch with their lawyers, and not leave South Dakota without permission. Additionally, their passports will go to the clerk of courts.
There is a fourth defendant in the case, but his or her name is redacted in the indictment.
