Skip to main content

Moldovan National Pleads Guilty to Forced Labor Trafficking

WASHINGTON—A Moldovan national pleaded guilty today in federal court in Kansas City, Mo., for his role in a forced labor trafficking scheme that victimized workers in 14 states, the Justice Department announced.

Alexandru Frumusache, 24, a citizen of the republic of Moldova residing in Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith this afternoon to the charge contained in a May 6, 2009, federal indictment.

In or around September 2008, Frumusache began working for Giant Labor Solutions in Kansas City. According to the court documents, between September 2008 and the end of April 2009, he knowingly aided and abetted others in a scheme to cause foreign workers (including nationals of the Phillippines, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica) to believe that if they failed or refused to work where and when ordered, they would be deported, their H2B work visas would be cancelled, or they or their family members would be penalized with a $5,000 to $10,000 fee.

Frumusache is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2010.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Porter, William L. Meiners and Cynthia L. Cordes and Trial Attorney Jim Felte with the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; the FBI; the Labor Department; OIG – Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; IRS – Criminal Investigation; the Kansas Department of Revenue – Criminal Investigations; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service; and the Independence, Mo., Police Department.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

15 Gang Members Convicted on Conspiracy, Weapons Possession, Firearms Trafficking Charges Case Follows Recent Convictions of 137th Street Crew and East Harlem Narcotics Trafficking Organization

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., announced the results of the investigation and prosecution of one of Central Harlem’s most destructive criminal street gangs, referred to as “ONE TWENTY-NINE” or “GOODFELLAS/THE NEW DONS,” which terrorized the neighborhood surrounding West 129th Street between Lenox and Fifth Avenues. Thirteen members of the gang have previously pleaded guilty to importing, possessing, and using firearms over the course of the conspiracy.

Mortgage Fraud

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau announced today the indictment of 13 individuals and a mortgage origination company for perpetrating over $100 million in mortgage fraud over a four-year period in the New York City metropolitan area. In addition, 12 individuals have already waived indictment and pleaded guilty to felonies relating to their participation in the mortgage fraud scheme. The indictment charges 13 individuals and the mortgage company, AFG FINANCIAL GROUP, INC., with enterprise corruption, grand larceny, scheme to defraud and conspiracy involving 19 fraudulent mortgage transactions. The defendants include the principals and a number of employees of the mortgage company, as well as bank employees, appraisers, and three attorneys. Two other attorneys are among the defendants who already pleaded guilty. The crimes charged in the indictment occurred between June 2004 and April 2009 with the bulk of the fraudulent closings occurring from mid-2005 through the end of...

DISTRICT ATTORNEY VANCE ANNOUNCES INDICTMENT OF SIX SUBCONTRACTING COMPANIES AND THEIR OWNERS IN MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the indictments of six subcontracting companies and their owners for colluding with LEHR CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION (LEHR) in a multimillion dollar scheme that defrauded numerous construction clients over the past decade. See, related story. The announcement comes one day after DA Vance announced LEHR and four executives were indicted on crimes including Enterprise Corruption, the New York State Racketeering law. GODSELL CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION and its owner ARTHUR GODSELL are charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree. JT ROSELLE LIGHTING, INC. and its owner JAMES ROSELLE, LIBERTY CONTRACTING CORPORATION and its owners GEORGE FOTIADIS and KEVIN FOTIADIS, PJ MECHANICAL and its owner JAMES PAPPAS, SUPERIOR ACOUSTICS, INC. and its owner KENNETH MCGUIGAN, and SWEENEY & HARKIN CARPENTRY and its owner MICHAEL HAYES are charged with Grand Larceny in the Third Degree.[1] "The defendants in this case cheated clie...