A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment today charging Zhu Chen, 60, and Jiayi Chen, 31, both U.S. Citizens, and Jianjun Lu, 55, a Chinese national, all residing in Cartersville, Georgia, with forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and alien harboring.
According to court documents, Zhu Chen, together with Jiayi Chen and Jianjun Lu, recruited Chinese nationals through false pretenses to enter the United States on B-1 and L-1 visas to work at Wellmade Industries, a flooring manufacturer in Georgia. Upon the victims’ arrivals into the United States, the defendants kept their immigration documents and had them work 12-hour shifts, six days a week at the Wellmade Industries factory in Cartersville, Georgia. The defendants paid the victims less than promised and did not provide overtime or health benefits. They also threatened the victims with deportation and the imposition of sizeable debts and subjected them to verbal, psychological, and physical abuse. The defendants housed the victims in residences owned by Wellmade even though the victims did not have legal status under their visas.
All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor and forced labor. Zhu Chen is also charged with alien harboring. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta made the announcement.
HSI Dalton, Georgia; Bartow County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations; and Georgia Bureau of Investigations are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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