For 33-year-old Alvaro Nunoz, life in the U.S. was good. He owned his own Mexican restaurant, made good money and had a beautiful home in an upscale neighborhood in Vienna.

But his life was turned upside down in April of 2003 when he was caught smuggling illegal aliens into the U.S. and charged with money laundering.

He's since been deported back to Mexico and his two homes have been seized and auctioned off.

About 100 people showed up Saturday morning for the auction of his fully-furnished home at 5505 Greenmont Terrace in Vienna.

The property had been fully furnished by Rhododendrun Furniture in Vienna.

The furniture was worth more than $100,000 alone.

The winning bid was $570,000. The winning bidder was Charles Hughes.

Also auctioned off to the highest bidder was his more modest home at 1114 15th street in Vienna. That one went for $55,500.

Sixty-five percent of the proceeds will be returned to the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force, who has assisted the IRS in this investigation. The remaining money will go to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Jeff Sandy of the IRS says, "This case is especially significant in that it involved the importation of an illegal work force from Mexico into this country which was basically slave labor. This enabled Munoz to increase their profit margins at their restaurants, not only in Parkersburg, but in other parts of West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee."

Getting caught earned him nothing but a one-way ticket home.