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| Human Traffickers Brought to Justice | September 9, 2008 |
| Victimizers to pay penalties for their crimes against FIAC clients as a result of cooperative efforts of law enforcement and non-profit advocates Miami, Sept. 9, 2008 – Justice prevailed against human traffickers through guilty pleas and sentencing in two important cases. The cases were brought to successful conclusions through the cooperation of many local and federal law enforcement agencies, and non-profit agencies such as Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) that provided critical services to the victims. In one case, six members of an Immokalee family plead guilty to charges of enslavement and forced labor of Mexican and Guatemalan farm workers. The defendants paid workers minimal wages and the workers were driven into indebtedness to the family. The defendants held the workers captive and threatened physical harm if they tried to leave their employment before the debt was paid off. Brothers Cesar and Geovanni Navarrete are facing sentences of up to 35 and 25 years respectively, Jose Navarrete faces up to 37 years in prison. Villhina Navarrete, Ismael Navarrete and Antonio Vargas will be in prison between 10 to 25 years. The second case saw Juan Luis Cadena-Sosa plead guilty to federal civil rights violations for conspiring to smuggle Mexican women and girls into the United States and forcing them into prostitution. Cadena-Sosa was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay $964,175 is restitution to his victims. In a case of delayed justice, Cadena-Sosa was originally indicted, along with 14 other defendants, in 1998. He was a fugitive in Mexico until his extradition in November 2007. Many of the victims in these cases are represented by Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center. FIAC attorneys ensure that the victims’ immigration status is protected and that they have access to medical and social services to assist with their recovery from these crimes. These services renew a sense of security and trust with the victims that is vital in their ability to aid law enforcement in achieving successful prosecutions like these. | |