Nery A. Martinez Vasquez, Forced Labor Conspiracy, California 2024

In a shocking case of exploitation, Nery A. Martinez Vasquez, 53, and his wife Maura N. Martinez, 53, both of Shasta Lake, California, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit forced labor at their restaurant, Latino’s, and cleaning company, Redding Carpet Cleaning & Janitorial Services.

The couple, who are naturalized United States citizens originally from Guatemala, admitted to convincing a Guatemalan relative and her two minor daughters to come to the United States in 2016 by falsely promising them a better life. The victims were forced to work long hours at the defendants’ businesses for minimal to no pay between September 2016 and February 2018.

According to court documents, the defendants manufactured an inflated debt that they told the victims they owed and instructed them that they could not leave until they repaid this fictitious debt. The victims were also threatened with deportation and arrest if they did not comply with the defendants’ requests.

The defendants further abused the victims by forbidding the minor children from attending school and housing them in a dilapidated, unheated trailer with no running water. They also degraded and humiliated the victims in front of others and used force and threats of force to intimidate them.

‘These defendants used the promise of America to lure the victim and her children to the United States in search of a better life, only to turn around and use that hope to exploit their dreams under cruel conditions,’ said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

The couple faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. They are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb on November 8.

The case highlights the disturbing trend of human trafficking and exploitation in the United States. As Assistant Attorney General Clarke noted, ‘There is no place for such cruel conduct in our society, and the Department of Justice remains committed to eradicating human trafficking.’

Law enforcement officials are urging the public to report suspected human trafficking and encourage victims to come forward to escape the cycle of exploitation they may feel trapped within.

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