A couple from Simi Valley, California, Carolina Rojas and Jairo John Gastelo, have been indicted for a scheme that exploited asylum-seeking migrants. Between November 2021 and March 2024, they recruited individuals from Latin America, forcing them to work unpaid jobs under threats of violence. Prosecutors allege they smuggled the migrants into the U.S., coerced them into domestic work, and abused their vulnerable status for financial benefit. The U.S. Attorney's Office has charged the couple with multiple offenses related to forced labor and trafficking.
Rojas and Gastelo smuggled individuals into the U.S. and exploited them for their own financial gain, forcing them into unpaid labor under threats of harm.
Federal prosecutors described how Rojas and Gastelo coordinated the migrants' travels, forcing them to work unpaid jobs and live in substandard conditions.
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