GILROY, Calif. — A Gilroy, California, couple has been charged with human trafficking after prosecutors allege they imprisoned a man and forced him to work in their store without pay.
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, Amarjit and Balwinder Mann, both 66, locked the man in their liquor store and forced him to work 15-hour unpaid shifts seven days a week. The man, who came to the United States from India in 2019, reportedly slept in a storage room and bathed in a mop sink, KCRA reported.
In addition to the labor human trafficking charge, the couple also faces charges for witness intimidation and wage theft involving four employees, The Mercury News reported.
“Slavery officially was abolished in 1865,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a prepared statement.
“Tragically, we are seeing examples of it in 2020. My office will prosecute anyone to the fullest extent of the law who practices this kind of criminal and inhumane exploitation,” Rosen added.
Investigators also said the couple stole more than $150,000 in wages from four employees.
According to the DA’s office, the man thought he would be traveling to the United States with the couple in 2019, but the Manns instead took his money and passport before putting him to work in the store he was prohibited from leaving at night.
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