May 31, 2007

Cameroonian couple sentenced for human trafficking
Young girl forced to perform as a domestic

DETROIT - A married man and woman from Cameroon were sentenced yesterday to 17 and five years in prison, respectively, for involuntary servitude and related charges, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent in Charge Brian M. Moskowitz.

U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Tarnow, Eastern District of Michigan, found Joseph Djoumessi, 49, guilty of conspiracy, involuntary servitude, and harboring for financial gain. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison, to run concurrent with a 9-to-15-year sentence he is currently serving for a Michigan state conviction related to the same crime. A jury also convicted Djoumessi's wife, Evelyn Djoumessi, 42, of conspiracy and involuntary servitude. She was sentenced to five years in prison. The couple was also ordered to pay $100,000 in restitution to the victim.

ICE agents in Detroit began an investigation in 2000 after receiving information from the Farmington Hills Police Department regarding a young girl who was possibly being held against her will. A 17-year-old girl from Cameroon was discovered in the Djoumessi home, living under a false identity and in questionable circumstances.

The investigation revealed that the girl had been brought into the United States illegally when she was 14 years old. During the time the girl lived at the couple's home, she was forced "by beating and threats," according to court documents, to care for their children and perform household chores without pay. They also limited her contact with the outside world and did not permit her to attend school.

"It is a basic and fundamental human right to be free, and no child should be forced to live in a world of fear and involuntary servitude," said Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Michigan. "The sentences in this case are a testament to our solemn commitment to protect those who cannot protect themselves. While we cannot restore someone's childhood, we can bring their abusers to justice."

U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy said, "Yesterday's sentence gives fair warning to all human traffickers and any others who would ever seek to force an innocent teenager to become the equivalent of a personal slave: you will pay a steep price for your crime. This office will continue to pursue and aggressively prosecute such heinous offenses."

The Farmington Hills PD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Felder, Eastern District of Michigan, provided assistance and Jacqueline Spratt of the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, jointly prosecuted this case.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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