Thread: Human Traffickers Indicted, 600 Thai Victims UPDATED

Human Traffickers Indicted Massive Case Involves 600 Thai Victims

01/28/11

It seemed pretty straightforward: labor recruiters in Thailand approached impoverished rural farm workers—who made around $1,000 (U.S.) annually—and offered jobs on American farms for higher pay.

Many, hoping to provide a better life for their families, accepted the offer, which was made through an American company called Global Horizons, in the business of recruiting foreign workers to work in the U.S. agricultural industry. But once in the U.S., the Thai workers soon discovered a harsh reality: they worked for little or no pay, and they were held in place with threats and intimidation.

Eventually, their plight became known to law enforcement, and earlier this month, after a multiagency investigation, two additional defendants—accused of being part of the scheme to hold 600 Thai nationals in forced agricultural labor—were indicted in federal court in Honolulu. They joined six individuals who had been indicted last fall.

Among those indicted? The CEO of Global Horizons, several Global employees, and two Thai labor recruiters.

The latest indictment alleges a conspiracy among those indicted that began in 2001 and ran until 2007.

How the scheme worked.

Thai recruiters allegedly met with rural farm workers, promising them good salaries, lots of hours, decent housing, and an employment contract that guaranteed work for up to three years. All the workers had to do was sign the contract…and pay a “recruitment fee.â€

I seem to recall other issues a few years ago with Global Horizons also with Africans as well. Of course back then Global Horizons got off with just scapegoating a couple middle men.

From what I've seen over the years traveling many of these countries that have human smuggling into the US I really have little to no sympathy left for these victims. They are scammed with a deal that common sense screams something is wrong. Here come a bunch of guys saying the represent an American company or companies that need labor and expect you to pay them absorbent fee's for the privledge of working for them. These people put everything on the line believing some stranger they don't know has their interest at heart, and of course they never know anyone with a good story from these guys personally.

Its no different then the Madoff ponzi scheme. One con man tells people he can get them massive interest on their investments of up to 20%. Yet these people don't question things, don't research just how its done. They just dump their life savings into this guy assuming he's an honest chap with their interests at heart. Heck, at least Madoff had some stars on his side who he used as backup on his schemes from their testimony of his massive interests.

What really ever happened to people paying for their own choices. Personal responsibility for foolish mistakes. We all make mistakes but if people keep getting bailed out of them they never learn.

Now I'm glad that these Thai's are freed from the slave labor and brutal conditions but they should still be sent back.

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Three Defendants Plead Guilty in Honolulu in Connection with Human Trafficking Scheme That Exploited 600 Thai Workers

Case Marks Largest Human Trafficking Case in U.S. History

WASHINGTON – Bruce Schwartz, 53, Sam Wongsesanit, 40, and Shane Germann, 42, have pleaded guilty to human trafficking violations involving the Los Angeles based recruiting company Global Horizons, the Justice Department announced today. Schwartz pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit forced labor, and Germann and Wongsesanit pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit document servitude.

In a superseding indictment unsealed on Jan. 18, 2011, eight defendants were charged in connection with a scheme to lure approximately 600 Thai nationals to enter the United States under the federal agricultural guest worker program between 2001 and 2007. According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to coerce the agricultural labor and services of the Thai nationals by fraudulently inducing the recruits to incur substantial debts secured by the workers’ homes and family land, then confiscating the workers’ passports, and threatening to repatriate the victims to face destitution, homelessness and other serious harm if they did not remain in the defendants’ service for meager earnings.

“These defendants pleaded guilty to participating in the largest human trafficking scheme ever seen by the Department of Justice,â€