Six people, including two previously from Pittsburgh, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for money laundering and harboring illegal aliens.

Unsealed today but handed up Nov. 19, the indictment alleges that the men ran businesses in Ohio and Pennsylvania in which they provided workers for various client businesses. As part of the arrangement, the companies were to pay all of the required taxes, but the government alleges the businesses paid only a small portion of what should have been remitted.

The indictment alleges that the business owners told their clients that the employees all had permission to be working in the United States, even though they did not. More than 100 employees legally entered the United States, but their visas had either expired or they were not permitted to work while here, the indictment said.

The people charged include:

* Yaroslav Rochniak, 51, of Brooklyn, N.Y., formerly of Pittsburgh

* Gregory Kucher, 62, of Brooklyn, N.Y., formerly of Pittsburgh

* Roman Kucher, 38, of Lakewood, Ohio

* Alexander Litt, 44, of Miami, Fla.

* Roman Litt, 63, of Staten Island, N.Y.

* Yakov Shakhanov, 70, of Delray Beach, Fla.

The defendants are accused of collecting more than $6.8 million on behalf of all the workers and paying them nearly $5 million.

The 37-count indictment also includes charges of tax evasion.

The businesses were operated in Pittsburgh by Mr. Rochniak and Mr. Kucher and include Citiwide Management Group, formed around October 2001; Bazil Services Inc., formed in Nov. 2002; and Citiwide MNGM Group Inc and Monro Services Inc., both formed on Sept. 12, 2005.

First Published: December 10, 2008, 8:30 p.m.