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Nigerian Man, Wife Convicted Of Bonded Labour In US, Face 20 Years Imprisonment—-A Nigerian couple based in the United States has been convicted of forced labour by a federal jury in New Jersey and faces 20 years imprisonment.

Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, and Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50 — who are both US citizens were also found guilty of operating a coercive scheme to compel two victims to perform domestic labour and childcare in their home.

Speaking at the end of the trial on April 24, Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general, said the husband and wife lured the victims to the US with promises of a better life and an education but instead subjected them to hours of physical and psychological abuse.

“The defendants confiscated the victims’ passports, threatened them, degraded them, physically abused them and kept them under constant surveillance, all to coerce the victims’ labor and ruthlessly exploit them for the defendants’ own profit,” Clarke said.

“Human trafficking is a heinous crime, and this verdict should send the very clear message that the justice department will investigate and vigorously prosecute these cases to hold human traffickers accountable and bring justice to their victims.”

According to the evidence presented at trial, including the testimony of two victims, the incident happened between December 2015 and October 2016.

“Once Victim 1 arrived in the United States in December 2015, Bolaji Bolarinwa confiscated her passport and coerced her through threats of physical harm to her and her daughter, verbal abuse, isolation and constant surveillance to compel her to work every day, around the clock for nearly a year,” the court heard.

“Isiaka was aware of his wife’s threats and abusive behavior toward Victim 1 and directly benefited from Victim 1’s cooking, cleaning and childcare.

“The defendants then recruited Victim 2 to come to the United States on a student visa.

“When Victim 2 arrived in the United States in April 2016, Bolaji Bolarinwa similarly confiscated her passport and coerced her to perform household work and childcare but relied more heavily on physical abuse.

“On at least one occasion, Isiaka Bolarinwa also physically abused Vitim 2, and he was aware of his wife’s coercive, abusive behavior toward Victim 2 and directly benefited from her cleaning and childcare.”

The US department of justice (DOJ) said both victims endured the abuse until October 2016, when one of them (victim 1) summoned the courage to outcry to a professor at her college, who in turn, reported the targets to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each forced labour count and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for the alien harbouring count.

The DOJ added that they will also be required to pay mandatory restitution to the victims and each faces a fine on each count of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or gross loss from the offence, whichever is greatest.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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EFCC Declares Sujimoto Wanted in Real Estate Fraud Crackdown

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EFCC Declares Sujimoto Wanted

EFCC Declares Sujimoto Wanted in Real Estate Fraud Crackdown—-TCN reports that The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Olasijibomi Suji Ogundele, founder of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, wanted for alleged diversion of funds and money laundering.

The declaration was contained in a notice issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, and circulated to the public via its official X account.

According to the Commission, Ogundele is wanted in connection with an alleged case of diversion of funds and money laundering being investigated by its Lagos Command

“The public is hereby notified that OLASIJIBOMI SUJI OGUNDELE of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Diversion of Funds and Money Laundering,” the commission stated. 

Public appeal for information 

The EFCC urged members of the public with useful information on his whereabouts to contact its offices across the country.

The notice described him as a 44-year-old indigene of Ori-Ade Local Government Area of Osun State. His last known address was listed as G29, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: info@efcc.gov.ng or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies,” the notice read.

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US Increases Reward For Arrest of Venezuela Leader Nicolás Maduro to $50 million

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Arrest of Venezuela Leader Maduro to $50 million

US Government Increases Reward For Arrest of Venezuela Leader Nicolás Maduro to $50 million—-The U.S. government announced on Thursday an unprecedented $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of heading one of the world’s most dangerous narco-trafficking networks.

The reward, which doubles the previous offer, was revealed in a video posted on social media by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said the Maduro regime has become a direct threat to U.S. national security.

Bondi accused Maduro of using foreign terrorist and criminal organizations —including the Tren de Aragua gang, the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel, and the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, Cartel of the Suns — to flood the U.S. with cocaine. “He is one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security.

Therefore, we’ve doubled his reward to $50 million,” Bondi said in the video. “Maduro uses foreign terrorist organizations like TDA, Sinaloa and Cartel of the Suns to bring deadly drugs and violence into our country.“ In the video, Bondi also announced the seizure of more than $700 million in Maduro-linked assets, including two private jets, nine vehicles and various properties.

Despite these enforcement actions, Bondi warned, “Maduro’s reign of terror continues.” Although Maduro was not among the early Venezuelan officials tied to narco-trafficking during the previous Hugo Chávez presidency, a federal indictment filed in New York shows his rise through the ranks of the Cartel of the Suns, a drug organization embedded within the Venezuelan military.

According to court documents, Maduro gained increasing influence in the cartel after Chávez’s death in 2013, eventually becoming one of its top leaders. The indictment notes that Maduro “helped manage and, ultimately, lead the Cártel de Los Soles,” as the drug operation became intertwined with the Venezuelan state.

While other top leaders in the Venezuelan regime such as Diosdado Cabello and Tareck El Aissami were often seen as the cartel’s figureheads, the new evidence suggests Maduro’s role was far more significant than previously believed.

The indictment claims the purpose of Venezuela’s drug trafficking apparatus goes beyond self-enrichment.

The cartel, it says, aimed “to flood the United States with cocaine and inflict the drug’s harmful and addictive effects on users in this country.” U.S. authorities had estimated earlier this decade that more than 250 tons of cocaine transit through Venezuela annually, but recent intelligence reports suggest that number may have doubled in recent years to compensate for the shortfall in revenue caused by U.S. sanctions on the country’s oil industry.

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