Couple forced migrant to work at fireworks stand

McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — Two South Texas border residents have been sentenced for forcing an undocumented immigrant to work at a fireworks stand and as a nanny without pay.

U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane ordered 32-year-old Eduardo Javier Gomez, of Edinburg, to serve 70 months in prison. His former partner, Margarita Alvarez, 42, was ordered to two years of probation, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani announced Monday.

Both pleaded guilty in March to benefitting from a victim’s free labor.

Hamdani says the couple forced a victim to work for free at a fireworks stand for several weeks during the summer of 2021, including the 4th of July holiday.

Law enforcement discovered the victim had been illegally smuggled to the Rio Grande Valley. Gomez was holding her against her will, Hamdani said.

Gomez was requesting further payment from family members in exchange for the victim being moved farther north. When the family was unable to pay, the couple took the victim’s phone and forced her to work as a nanny and housekeeper in the home that Gomez and Alvarez shared. Gomez also managed a fireworks stand where he forced the victim to work, Hamdani said.

“No one should be forced to live in a world of isolation, servitude and terror, particularly in a country that prides itself on its freedoms,” said Special Agent in Charge, Craig Larrabee, HSI San Antonio. “This case is a sad reflection on human greed and heartlessness that people believe they can engage in this kind of egregious exploitation with impunity. This sentence should send a message to those who traffic human beings that HSI is committed to protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”

Law enforcement rescued the victim two days after learning of her plight, officials said.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.

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