CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Two Cartersville men and a Chinese national were indicted Tuesday in federal court on charges related to forced labor allegations at a flooring manufacturing company in Cartersville.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna looks into this case LIVE on Channel 2 Action News at 4:00.
The U.S. Justice Department said Wellmade Industries owner Zhu Chen, 60; his nephew, Jiayi Chen, 31; and Jianjun Lu, 55, a Chinese national, were indicted on charges of forced labor and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Zhu Chen was also charged with alien harboring.
As Channel 2 Action News reported, the company was raided and arrests were made in connection with the case in July 2025.
According to the DOJ, the defendants lured Chinese nationals to work at Wellmade Industries “through false pretenses” on B-1 and L-1 visas.
Once the workers arrived, they were forced to work 12-hour shifts, six days a week, in unsafe conditions and paid less than promised.
Federal officials say the defendants allegedly threatened foreign workers here on visas with “physical violence, deportation, and crippling debt” if they stopped working at the factory.
The workers were forced to work long hours and were kept in overcrowded and dirty conditions, according to the DOJ.
“My office will ensure that predators who traffic at-risk laborers and violate our immigration laws to enrich themselves are investigated, apprehended, and prosecuted,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Bond denied for 2 men accused of trafficking people to work at north GA manufacturing plant
- Owner of Wellmade Flooring, 1 other, accused of trafficking people for labor servitude
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
