Peachtree City couple charged with labor trafficking conspiracy, forced labor and alien smuggling

By
The Citizen
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16
10958

A 16-count indictment was unsealed Monday, May 15, charging a husband and wife — both of Peachtree City — with conspiring to commit labor trafficking, in addition to forced labor and alien smuggling, in connection with their operation of two Mexican restaurants, Sabor A Mexico at 805 Floy Farr Parkway, Fayetteville, Georgia, and Sabor A Mexico at 7860B Ella Lane, Fairburn, Georgia.

According to the indictment, between March 2021 and October 2022, Efrain Gonzalez, 40, and Estella Gonzalez, 34, both of Peachtree City, conspired to commit labor trafficking.

The indictment alleges that the couple used force, threats of force, coercion and abuse of law and legal process to compel victims to engage in forced labor. The indictment further alleges that the couple engaged in alien smuggling for commercial gain, alleging five counts of alien smuggling against Efrain Gonzalez and one count against Estella Gonzalez.

The charge of forced labor carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger of HSI Atlanta made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Annalise Peters and Trial Attorney Kate Hill of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of this case or may have relevant information to share is asked to  call the HSI tip line at 866-DHS-2423.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

16 COMMENTS

  2. This is going on all over and has for a LONG time. I would say during the Trump years it was not as bad, but now it is worse than ever. And with more illegals pouring over our borders it will only get worse. Illegals take advantage of other illegals. American citizens take advantage of illegals. And illegals take advantage of Americans. But hold on to your seats because things are only going to get worse. Crime is going to go higher, drugs are going to get worse, and society is going to go to h-e-double hockey stick in a hand basket in the few areas of the USA that have not been hit by high crime yet. We have no border security. We have illegals being bussed all over the USA from big cities to small towns to rural areas and everywhere in between. In some areas you cannot even be hired as a teacher if you do not speak Spanish. As if American criminals were not bad enough, our government decided to let in criminals from everywhere else with no vetting. Thanks USA government. Being an American citizens does not mean anything to the government here. And if you complain they just bring in more people from south of the border to make sure they can hold on to power long into the future. What would be funny as heck though is if all these people that the politicians plan on giving citizenship to in the future end up voting conservative. But then the communists will just bring in more and more illegals. Hopeless situation. There are places in the USA that have more crime now than many places in Mexico that used to be known as the most unsafe places to live in the world. Thanks again USA government. You are doing a swell job.

      • And just like that, vics1966, here is Stranger to prove you correct.

        Instead of being scared and hiding in his basement, he should explain why he is for unchecked illegals flooding our country, adding millions to take from government, crime and drugs.

        • I don’t blame either President Trump or President Biden for the border crisis. Congress passed the insane law that allows anyone who shows up claiming persecution to be granted provisional asylum. The Democrats won’t use common sense and modify this welcome mat, but the dang Republicans refuse to do it either. I thought for sure when the Republicans controlled the House, Senate, and Presidency from 2017 – 2019 they would change the law because the conservative Supreme Court would surely have gone along with it.

          I’m disgusted with Congress for not coming up with a humane AND workable solution to the immigration crisis, but instead politicizing it against both of the last two presidents.

          That said, the current problem with illegal immigrants is that too many are coming in to easily assimilate. This idea of a crime wave that should scare everyone is an invention of people out to scare the Kathleens of the world. Most of these people just want the opportunity to have a better life and be productive citizens. Unfortunately, our country can only accommodate so many.

    • Kathleen, may I come over and hide in your basement with you? I’m afraid to leave the house because chicken little tells me that illegals are making the sky fall.

      Truth is stranger than fiction!

    • Amen. Illegal border crossings were 3 and a half times higher in 2022 under Biden vs during Trump. (Newsweek 9/20/22) And the number of illegals has rocketed up since then.

      Biden’s border policies have added millions of people that are unable to support themselves (meaning you and I will foot the bill), are a national security risk and who bring the flood of fentanyl that is killing more than guns and autos combined.

      Who’s OK with this?

  3. This house has been a well known transient labor hotel for years. PTC even gave them permits to remodel and cram even more people into it. The vans well marked with the restaurant logos you see all over Fayetteville/PTC are their labor transportation, and this house isn’t the only local place they service.

    Hope they find and charge the true guilty parties here. Glad to see someone is finally acting as it has been no secret that this is going on.