Chicago, United States
A woman from the city of Cicero, neighbor in Chicago, She was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison for subjecting forced labor to Guatemalan immigrants to whom she charged exorbitant prices to help them enter the United States illegally, federal prosecutors said Monday.
Concepción Malinek, 50 years old, Was arrested in March last year by federal agents, who were found in deplorable condition in 19 adults and 14 immigrant children in a house owned by him.
Immigrants lived crammed into the basement of the house and the adults were obliged to give to the woman great part of the payments that received to work in a factory of the city of Romeoville, Illinois.
Admitting his guilt last year, Malinek said in the court that between 2009 and 2019 helped at least 10 Guatemalans enter the United States without papers, and in some cases also obtained fraudulent identifications.
According to a statement from the prosecution, one of the victims said that he was earning $ 1,956 a month, Of which he gave 974 to Malinek to deduct part of his debt to take her to Chicago, as well as expenses for food, telephone, and transportation to and from work.
Another person revealed that Malinek charged him $ 18,000 to allow him to use his name and address on immigration documents.
The prosecution reported that Malinek controlled all the movements of his victims, he knew where they were at all times and how much was the value of each check they received as payment for their work.
In addition to the 78-month prison sentence, Federal Judge Edmond E. Chang sentenced her to return $ 112,545 to the victims.