Three defendants from Georgia have been sentenced to federal prison for involvement in illegally transporting Mexican and Central Americans to work in brutal conditions on South Georgia farms.
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The trio are the last of 24 defendants to be sentenced in the Operation Blooming Onion case and face federal conspiracy charges, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Margarita “Maggie” Rojas Cardenas, Nery Rene Carrillo-Najarro and Brett Donavan Bussey each face prison time and are ordered to pay restitution.
Court documents say they engaged in international forced labor trafficking by fraudulently using work visas to transport people from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras into the U.S. under the pretext of working as agricultural workers.
“Federal labor programs are not a playground for criminals,” said Anthony P. D’Esposito, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor. “Let these sentencings send a clear message: if you exploit workers, commit fraud, launder money or abuse programs designed to help people, my office will find you and hold you accountable.”
The conspirators required foreign nationals to pay unlawful fees for transportation, food, housing while illegally withholding their travel and identification documents.
They also subjected workers “to perform physically demanding work for little or no pay, housing them in crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions and by threatening them with deportation and violence.”
The conspirators are alleged to have collected more than $200 million by laundering money through cash purchases of land, homes, vehicles and businesses. They also laundered funds through cash purchases of cashier’s checks and funneling millions of dollars through a casino.
Cardenas was sentenced to over four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay over $20,000 in restitution.
Carrillo-Najarro was sentenced to over three years followed by three years of supervised release The court will assess victims’ losses to determine restitution on Aug. 4.
Bussey was sentenced to 10 months prison time followed by three years supervised release and ordered to pay over $6,000 in restitution.
This investigation into the Patricio transnational criminal organization began in November 2018 with investigators from Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and FBI.
“The work carried out by these professionals has had a direct impact in protecting vulnerable people and preserving the American dream for those who pursue it,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret “Meg” E. Heap.
If you believe you have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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