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2d ago

Three Indicted in Georgia Over Alleged Forced Labor at Wellmade Industries

Prosecutors say the indictment advances enforcement against visa misuse, labor trafficking, harboring, worker coercion,

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In this Wednesday, May 13, 2020 photo, a worker at SMC China, a Japanese joint venture pneumatic engineering company, assembles products at a factory in Beijing. The United States, Japan and France are prodding their companies to rely less on China to make the world’s smartphones, drugs and other products. But even after the coronavirus derailed global trade, few are willing to give up access to its skilled workers, vast market and efficient suppliers by moving factories closer to home.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
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Overview

  • The indictment, which was returned Aug. 12, charges Zhu Chen, Jiayi Chen and Jianjun Lu with forced labor and conspiracy and adds an alien‑harboring count for one defendant.
  • Prosecutors allege the men recruited Chinese nationals to enter the U.S. on B‑1 and L‑1 visas and then coerced them to work at Wellmade Industries in Cartersville, Georgia.
  • Court documents say victims were forced to work 12‑hour shifts six days a week, were paid less than promised, had immigration documents withheld and were housed in employer‑owned residences.
  • Federal and state agencies including the Justice Department Criminal Division, HSI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia and local law enforcement executed search warrants and are continuing the investigation.
  • If convicted on the charged counts the defendants face up to 20 years in prison and prosecutors have not yet released the number of alleged victims or a timeline for when the scheme began.