A father and son who own two restaurants in Woburn, Massachusetts, have been indicted on federal forced labor charges.
Federal agents raided The Dog House and Tudo Na Brasa in October in a human trafficking and indentured servitude operation.
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At the time, 65-year-old Jesse Moraes and 43-year-old Hugo Moraes, both of Woburn, and 62-year-old Chelbe Moraes — Jesse's brother and Hugo's uncle who lives in Brazil — were charged with smuggling people into the country illegally.
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On Tuesday, the office of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said all three men are now facing charges of forced labor conspiracy. Both Woburn residents are also charged with forced labor and attempted forced labor, while Jesse Moraes is additionally charged with labor trafficking, attempted labor trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.
"This case is another stark example of the human trafficking that's happening every single day in our country and our Commonwealth and the heinous lengths some employers go to in the pursuit of profit," Rollins said in a statement Tuesday. "It is alleged that these defendants conspired to take advantage of the American dream. Individuals seeking to come to the United States for a better life to benefit themselves and their families were allegedly taken advantage of and deceived. We allege that these defendants endangered the victims they smuggled and compelled them to work through threats of violence and other serious harm."
Rollins added that Chelbe Moraes is accused of providing false documents to help the migrants claim asylum upon entry to the U.S.
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"Labor traffickers treat humans like commodities, profiting from the mistreatment of their workforce and using force, fraud, or coercion to push people to work and make it difficult or impossible to leave," Michael Krol, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in New England, said in a statement.
The three men allegedly smuggled the victims into the country for fees between $18,000 and $22,000. Jesse and Hugo Moraes are accused of then withholding wages and forcing them to work many hours "while subjecting the victims to threats of serious harm – including financial harm, violence and deportation to prevent them from quitting and demanding better pay and working conditions," according to Rollins' office.
The charges echo those brought by Rollins last month against the owner of Stash's Pizza, a Boston restaurant with two locations in Dorchester and Roslindale. Stavros Papantoniadis is also charged with forced labor, with seven undocumented immigrant workers coming forward with allegations of violence and harassment.
