A federal jury in California has convicted a former Stockton couple of human trafficking charges related to the forced labor of foreign nationals.
Satish Kartan, 45, and his wife Sharmistha Barai, 40, were found guilty on March 14 of conspiracy to obtain forced labor and two counts of obtaining forced labor.
Kartan was also found guilty of fraud in foreign labor contracting.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Kartan and Barai hired workers from overseas to perform domestic labor in their home in Stockton between February 2014 and October 2016.
The defendants made false claims regarding the wages and duties of employment in advertisements seeking workers on the internet and India-based newspapers.
Once the workers arrived at the defendants’ Stockton residence, Kartan and Barai forced them to work 18 hours a day with limited rest and nourishment.
Few of them were paid any wage, and the defendants kept their domestic workers from leaving by threatening them, creating an atmosphere of fear, control, and disempowerment, and at times by physically hitting or burning them.
Victims flew from India and Nepal to testify against the defendants, who struck one worker on multiple occasions, threatened to kill another, and slammed her hands down on a gas stove, causing her to suffer first and second-degree burns.
Satish Kartan, exact criminal charges were conspiracy to obtain forced labor, two counts of obtaining forced labor, and fraud in foreign labor contracting.
Kartan and Barai’s crimes were committed in Stockton, California.
The exact date of the crimes was between February 2014 and October 2016.
The current status of Kartan and Barai is guilty verdicts.
This case is a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies to eradicate human trafficking and protect vulnerable members of society.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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