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The owners of a Wheaton chicken restaurant who were convicted of laundering millions of dollars and hiring illegal immigrants reopened the restaurant Nov. 25 in Wheaton.

The popular El Pollo Rico, at 2517 University Blvd., had moved from its location on Ennalls Avenue, which was badly damaged from a fire in February. El Pollo Rico's owners pleaded guilty this summer to conspiracy to commit money laundering and hiring illegal immigrants.

Francisco Solano's wife, Ineys-Hoyos Solano; his brother, Juan Faustino Solano; and his sister, Consuelo Solano, have been sentenced to either probation or two to 15 months in prison. Francisco Solano is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 17 in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. Prosecutors say his sentence will be the most severe because of his lead role in the criminal activity.

All four have also been ordered to forfeit more than $7 million in cash they laundered illegally through the restaurant, and property, cars and jewelry they bought with the money.

But at the restaurant's bustling grand opening Nov. 25, Francisco Solano said he felt compelled to reopen the restaurant because it's his family's livelihood.

"We don't have nothing else," he said.

To reopen El Pollo Rico, Francisco Solano said he borrowed money from two of his sisters in Virginia. He said he doesn't think paying them back will be difficult — on its opening day, a crowd of people filed in to order the Solanos' Peruvian-style roasted chicken.

"People have been very supportive," he said. "Even though we didn't advertise, people are showing up."

On a recent visit, Francisco's 26-year-old son and 21-year-old daughter were busy serving people behind the cash register while his wife bustled about the kitchen.

Francisco, 59, said his two children and his 28-year-old niece will run the restaurant while he serves his likely prison sentence.

Francisco said his son and daughter have been working at the restaurant since they were teenagers and he's confident they'll be able to run the restaurant when he's not there.

"They work hard," he said. He declined to let his children comment until after his sentencing.

Because no charges were filed against the restaurant—only the owners as individuals—there are no restraints against the Solanos reopening El Pollo Rico, said Marcia Murphy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. While the Solanos are forced to give up substantial amounts of property, they were not ordered to give up El Pollo Rico, she said.

Murphy did say in an e-mail that there will be a period of supervision release after the defendants are released from prison during which Solanos will be monitored by U.S. Probation to insure that they comply with the conditions set by U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus at each of their sentencing.

As long as they comply with those, which including paying fines, giving up property and working with the Internal Revenue Service to correctly pay taxes, there won't be another investigation of the owners or the restaurant, she said.

Francisco Solano said he's not worried about another potential investigation. The business is now honest and open, he said.

"We have nothing to hide. Everything is open," he said.

Customers of El Pollo Rico and business owners say having El Pollo Rico back in the community could be a good for Wheaton.

Teresa Pinedon was one of the steady streams of customers at El Pollo Rico last week. Holding up the four chickens she had just bought, she said in Spanish that El Pollo Rico's excellence in quality and price trump anything the owners have done.

Manuel Hidalgo, a Wheaton resident and executive director of the nonprofit Latin Economic Development Committee, which assists small businesses in the Washington, D.C., area, said he thinks the popular restaurant could help, not hurt, Wheaton's image because it draws customers from around the metropolitan area.

"It's one of the anchor restaurants of Wheaton," he said. "It's one of those places that puts Wheaton on the map for good reasons."