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Louisiana Couple Caged Disabled Woman, Forced Labor
AMITE, LA – Raylaine Knope, 42, and Terry J. Knope II, 45, have confessed to a reign of terror against a vulnerable adult woman with cognitive disabilities, identified in court documents only as “D.P.” The couple pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Louisiana to a litany of federal crimes stemming from years of abuse and forced labor. This wasn’t simply neglect; it was systematic exploitation and cruelty.
Between August 13, 2015, and June 30, 2016, the Knopes, while married, conspired with family members to force D.P. into unpaid servitude. The details are harrowing. D.P. was confined to a locked cage in the backyard, forced to perform grueling housework and yard work for nothing more than food and water. This wasn’t a home; it was a prison, and D.P. was its sole inmate. The abuse wasn’t limited to deprivation – it was brutally physical and psychologically damaging.
The plea hearing revealed sickening details of the abuse. Raylaine Knope forced D.P. to consume the ashes of her deceased mother. Terry J. Knope II intentionally burned D.P. with a cigarette lighter, aided by another family member who restrained the victim. Beyond these acts of outright cruelty, the couple stole D.P.’s monthly federal disability benefits, further stripping her of dignity and resources. Terry Knope also admitted to shooting D.P. with a B.B. gun at close range, and using his property to manufacture methamphetamine.
“The Knopes’ conspired to brutally coerce a vulnerable victim with disabilities to work long hours in despicable conditions with no monetary compensation,” stated Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser of the Eastern District of Louisiana added, “Today’s guilty pleas highlight that the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the FBI and local law enforcement partners to pursue human traffickers and to seek justice on behalf of vulnerable victims.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric J. Rommal minced no words, describing the defendants’ actions as “heinous, despicable, and in-human.” He rightly pointed out the particular betrayal of trust, stating, “As a disabled person, the victim depended on her family to care for her but instead, they abused and mistreated someone who was unable to defend themselves.” The emotional scars of this ordeal will undoubtedly last a lifetime.
Both Raylaine Knope and Terry J. Knope II face a maximum sentence of 28 years in prison. Raylaine Knope pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain forced, unpaid household labor and services, one count of forced labor, and one count of misprision of a felony. Terry J. Knope II pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to obtain forced, unpaid household labor and services, one count of violating D.P.’s federal Fair Housing Act rights, one count of a hate crime, and one count of misprision of a felony. Sentencing is scheduled for August 22. The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Tangipahoa District Attorney’s Office. Prosecution was handled by attorneys from the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, along with the Tangipahoa Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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