Motel Owners' Sentenced for Enslaving Immigrant Workers

According to a press release from the United States Department of Justice owners of a Comfort Inn & Suites hotel located in Oacoma, South Dakota were sentenced in federal court for forcing immigrant workers into involuntary servitude. Robert Farrell and his wife, Angelita Farrell were specifically sentenced on charges of visa fraud, peonage, conspiracy, document servitude, and making false statements. The Justice Department defines peonage as a crime requiring victims to engage in involuntary servitude to remedy indebtedness.

The Farrell couple was convicted of all of the charges in November of 2007. Their guilt was determined from testimony from four people the Farrell's had brought to the United States from the Philippines. The Justice Department claims that the Farrells had brought the workers into the country illegally.

According to the Justice Department the workers testified that the Farrell's had forced them to work 16 to 18 hours per day. The victims spent most of these hours working in the Farrell's hotel, the rest of the time they were expected to work in a fast food restaurant. The victims also claimed that the couple had complete control over the victim's lives determining the hours they worked, the food they were allowed to eat, and where they resided.

The couple reportedly covered up their crime by giving their victim's paychecks; however the victims were required to endorse the checks and then return them to the Farrells. The victims claim that they had come to this country hoping to earn money to send to their family members in the Philippines.

The Justice Department also claims that the Farrell couple actively prevented the victims from meeting people who could help them escape the situation. The couple reportedly forced the victims to attend nightly meetings, after their 16 to 18 hour workday. These meetings allegedly lasted until the early morning hours, were called debt meetings, and consisted of the Farrell's screaming at the victims for their "ungratefulness".

The Justice Department took care to note that peonage is a crime considered to be human trafficking and refers to it as modern day slavery. The elimination of human trafficking in the United States is one of the Justice Departments main goals and in 2007 the Department filed a record number of human trafficking cases. Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said: "The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who exploit victims lured into this country with false promises of a better life."

Robert Farrell was sentenced to 50 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine. Angelita Farrell was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment and was also ordered to pay a $15,000 fine. Both Farrells were also ordered to serve 3 years supervised release after the conclusion of their prison terms.