HONOLULU — A 53-year-old Oahu woman was indicted May 17 for allegedly deceiving a man into working for more than eight years and keeping his government identification so he could not leave.
State Attorney General Anne E. Lopez announced the charges against Anita Valdez, operator of an Oahu produce farm, in a news release Thursday.
From Jan. 1, 2015, through April 6, 2023, Valdez allegedly executed “one scheme and continuing course of conduct” and did “intentionally and knowingly” obtain a man for “labor or services” by fraud to keep him working, according to the indictment.
Valdez allegedly used deception to create a false impression in the trafficked laborer. She also allegedly withheld the worker’s “government-issued identification documents with the intent to impede” his movement.
The case was charged by the state Attorney General Department’s Special Investigation and Prosecution Division after an investigation by agents with the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Valdez was arrested by Honolulu police officers Wednesday.
“Labor trafficking is an incredibly serious crime,” said Lopez in a statement. “I appreciate the work of our federal partners to investigate labor trafficking crimes here in Hawaii. My office will always stand ready to help our federal, state and county partners prosecute those who take advantage of vulnerable people.”
Labor trafficking in the first degree is a Class A felony punishable by 20 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.
“An important part of the mission of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of labor trafficking involving the use of coercion or force. We will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, Homeland Security Investigations, and our other law enforcement partners in Hawai‘i to investigate these types of allegations,” said Quentin Heiden, special agent in charge, western region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, in a statement.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives tips about situations involving sex trafficking, labor trafficking and “situations where the type of trafficking may be unknown or not specified,” according to the organization’s website.
In 2020 and 2019 the hotline identified six instances of labor trafficking and six possible venues responsible for it each year.
“Labor trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it robs victims of their freedom and dignity. HSI will remain vigilant in identifying and combating this insidious crime,” said U.S. Department of Homeland Security Honolulu Assistant Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral- Dearmas in a statement.
