Five charged with smuggling 30 Ukrainians into US
PHILADELPHIA, PA
The Botsvynyuk brothers promised jobs paying
$500 a month and free room and board, but instead paid crews little
or nothing for their 16-hour days, the racketeering and extortion
indictment charged.
The men lured about 30 victims from Ukraine from 2000 to 2007,
smuggled them to Philadelphia through Mexico, and used or
threatened physical and sexual violence if they resisted or tried
to escape.
Four of the brothers were arrested Wednesday -- one in Germany,
two in Canada and one in Philadelphia. A warrant has been issued
for a fifth man, but Ukrainian police are not required to seek his
arrest because the U.S. has no extradition treaty with Ukraine.
"The victims in this case entered this country with dreams of
great opportunity only to find themselves living a nightmare,"
U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger said at a news conference. "No one
trying to immigrate to this country should have to endure such
mistreatment."
A federal public defender was appointed at a hearing Wednesday
for the suspect arrested in Philadelphia, 35-year-old Stepan
Botsvynyuk, who will be held until a July 8 detention hearing. He
entered the country legally but overstayed his visa, authorities
said.
An overseas tip sparked the investigation in 2005, but
authorities said they had to overcome language and trust barriers
as they worked with victims. The group includes young Ukrainian men
desperate for work after finishing military service and a woman who
was told her young daughter would be forced into prostitution in
Ukraine if she fled, the FBI said. About eight victims are now
cooperating.
There is no evidence the retailers and other employers, who
typically hired cleaning crews through subcontractors, knew of the
abusive working conditions, Memeger said.
The victims are expected to get temporary visas so they can stay
in the U.S. legally while the court case unfolds, and can later
apply for permanent residency, officials said.
The Department of Justice pursues about 60 human trafficking
cases each year, officials said. Memeger said he did not know how
much money the Botsvynyuks amassed through their alleged scheme,
but prosecutors will eventually seek forfeiture of their assets.
"It's sad but true -- here in this country, people are being
bought, sold and smuggled. They are trapped in lives of misery --
often beaten, starved and forced to work long hard hours for little
or no pay," said FBI special agent Doug Lindquist, who heads a
counterterrorism unit in Philadelphia.
The brother arrested in Germany, 51-year-old Omelyan "Milo"
Botsvynyuk, raped one of the victims and threatened to force the
young daughter of another victim into prostitution, authorities
charged.
The brothers housed the victims in deplorable conditions and
insisted they work until they pay off smuggling debts of $10,000 to
$50,000, prosecutors said. Some escaped despite threats to their
families back home.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. attorney's office,
the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Interpol and other
agencies.