CRT (202) 514-2208WWW.USDOJ.GOV
TDD (202) 514-1888
LABOR CONTRACTOR ADMITS HE ENSLAVED AFRICAN-AMERICAN FARM
WORKER IN FLORIDA, PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL CHARGES
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A farm labor contractor pled guilty today in Florida to using crack cocaine, threats, and violence to enslave his workers, the Justice Department announced.
Michael Allen Lee pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla., to a one-count indictment charging him with conspiring to deny an African-American farm worker his constitutional right to be free from involuntary servitude. Mr. Lee faces 10 years incarceration; sentencing is set for May 2, 2001.
As part of his plea, Mr. Lee admitted that he used forced labor on his agricultural crew, which picked oranges on behalf of growers in and around Fort Pierce. Lee recruited homeless African-American men for his operation, and he created a "company store" debt through short-term loans for rent, food, cigarettes, and cocaine. Lee then used that indebtedness, along with force and threats, to compel the workers to harvest fruit against their will. Lee admitted to abducting and beating one of his crew members to prevent him from leaving Lee's employ.
"We cannot tolerate the inhumane and degrading treatment of these vulnerable workers," said Acting Assistant Attorney General William Yeomans of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Modern-day slavery and worker exploitation will not be allowed in the United States."
The plea agreement is the result of action by the National Worker Exploitation Task Force, an interagency group that combats the problem of trafficking in persons and modern-day slavery in the United States. The case is the fourth such prosecution brought in southern Florida in the last three years. The case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Wage & Hour Division of the Department of Labor, was prosecuted jointly by the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida. The victims in this case were represented by Florida Rural Legal Services.
Callers can report other cases of trafficking or slavery to the Worker Exploitation Task Force complaint line, at 1-888-428-7581. More information about the Task Force can be found at: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/crim/tpwetf.htm.
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