Executive Summary
- Three Mexican nationals face federal charges for running a human trafficking scheme across VA, NC, and FL.
- Suspects allegedly used Las Princesas Corporation to fraudulently obtain H-2A visas and exploit workers.
- Prosecutors say workers were subjected to debt bondage, document confiscation, and degrading labor conditions.
- Charges include forced labor, visa fraud, alien harboring, and document servitude.
- If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison for forced labor counts.
ARLINGTON, Va. – Three Mexican nationals have been charged in connection with a multi-state human trafficking operation that allegedly exploited the H-2A agricultural visa program to subject workers to forced labor across Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida, federal authorities announced on Monday. The indictment accuses the defendants of utilizing a farm labor contracting company to recruit workers under false pretenses, only to confiscate their documents and subject them to degrading working conditions.
According to federal prosecutors, the suspects have been identified as Martha Zeferino Jose, her son Jeremy Zeferino Jose, and Jose Rodriguez Munoz. Martha Zeferino Jose reportedly owned and operated Las Princesas Corporation, a company based in Washington, North Carolina. The indictment alleges that between August 2021 and July 2022, she submitted fraudulent applications to the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, falsely certifying compliance with employment laws to secure H-2A guest worker visas.
Investigators state that the scheme involved charging workers significant fees to enter the United States, thereby saddling them with debt prior to their arrival. Once the workers were in the country, the suspects allegedly confiscated their passports, visas, and identification documents to prevent them from leaving. The release details that workers were compelled to perform physically demanding labor at farms and plant nurseries in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida under what prosecutors described as degrading conditions.
Court filings indicate that the workers were forced to labor for extensive hours without adequate breaks or access to water. Furthermore, when the workers’ H-2A visas expired, the defendants allegedly instructed them to remain in the country illegally rather than depart, subsequently harboring them for financial gain. Each suspect faces charges of forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, alien harboring for financial gain, and document servitude. Martha Zeferino Jose faces additional charges of visa fraud, while Munoz is charged with obstruction.
It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Federal Prosecution and Labor Oversight
The indictment of the individuals behind Las Princesas Corporation highlights the ongoing federal scrutiny regarding the potential abuse of the H-2A agricultural visa program. This case underscores the Department of Justice’s focus on dismantling networks that exploit vulnerable foreign labor for profit through debt bondage and document confiscation. If convicted, the defendants face significant prison sentences, including up to 20 years for each count of forced labor, signaling a rigorous prosecutorial stance against human trafficking within the U.S. agricultural sector.
