2 sentenced to prison in forced labor case on Ohio egg farm

Source: Associated Press

2 sentenced to prison in forced labor case on Ohio egg farm

John Seewer, Associated Press

Updated 4:03 pm, Monday, April 11, 2016

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge sentenced two men to prison on Monday for taking part in a scheme to smuggle teens into the U.S. and keep them as virtual slaves at an Ohio egg farm, but he delayed sentencing for the ringleader after learning he had not given up properties taken from the victims' families.

In 2014, federal agents raided a dilapidated trailer park near Marion where the 10 young Guatemalans had been living with no heat and little food. Some said they were lured with the promise of attending school in the U.S. or plucked out of custody at the Mexican border. Eight were under age 18.

The teens and young men were forced to work at the egg farm and turn over most of their earnings to pay for their passage to the U.S., investigators said.

One of the young men spoke in court Monday, revealing he was 17 when he was smuggled over the border and thought he would be attending classes.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Sentencing-set-for-3-in-forced-labor-case-on-Ohio-7240874.php