A judge extended the deadline for the owners of a Los Fresnos bakery convicted on charges of harboring undocumented employees within their business to turn themselves in to begin serving their sentences, federal court records show.

Abby's Bakery owners Leonardo Baez-Lara and Nora Avila-Guel were sentenced to four months in prison on Jan. 21. They were initially ordered to self-surrender to federal authorities on Friday, Feb. 20.

Court records show that on Tuesday, a judge extended the self-surrender deadline to Monday, March 2 at noon.

As previously reported, Baez-Lara and Avila-Guel were arrested in February 2025 after a federal raid at their bakery led to eight employees being detained who, according to a criminal complaint, were in the country “unlawfully.”

Six of those individuals had visas but did not have permission to work in the country, and the other two employees were undocumented. Federal prosecutors said the employees were housed in a room on the bakery's property. 

Court records show that attorneys for the couple filed to appeal the convictions. Attorneys also requested their clients remain on bond pending their appeal.

“[Baez-Lara and Avila-Guel are] not likely to flee and [do]not pose a danger to any person or the community,” the filings say. “Denying release would effectively require [Baez-Lara and Avila-Guel] to serve [their] sentence before the Fifth Circuit resolves the legality of the conviction.”

A hearing date on the appeal was not set as of Thursday night.