Bonded LaborArchive 2008–2016

Bonded Labor in New Haven, Connecticut (2008)

A bonded labor case from 2008 in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.

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Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?

What happened

Antonio (Tony) DiBenedetto, the owner of Rocco's Bakery, his wife, Anna and their two sons, Ferdinando and Giovanni are being sued for allegedly trafficking a family from Ecuador to work in their bakery. The family says Tony DiBenedetto beckoned them to the U.S. with the promise of labor, then kept them under a form of modern slavery, forcing them to work long hours below minimum wage and demanding sexual favors from the women in exchange for rent money.

Response and intervention

Mercedes, one of the trafficked women, went to a meeting at City Hall on June 4th to support immigrant-friendly ID cards. Her picture and an article were put on the front page of the New Haven register, and Tony DiBenedetto saw it and fired her on the spot. Merecedes turned to her church for help. Manship and Nadia Minor (two leaders of the church) helped Mercedes find legal help. The family decided to file suit, even while the rest of the family continued to work at the bakery. They called ICE for help. ICE helped the family escape. In the middle of the night on June 21, in unmarked government cars provided by ICE, the women and their children fled for safety. Social workers from the International Institute in Bridgeport have helped them relocate. They were relocated. Social workers from the International Institute in Bridgeport and ICE

Nearby cases

All 892 in the United States →

CSEC2008

Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, 2008

United States US

This case was investigated by a law enforcement team that was spearheaded by FBI Special Agent Sean O'Malley. Special Agent O'Malley was assisted by IRS Special Agent Colin Burns; the Bridgeport, Conn., Stratford, Conn., Colonie, N.Y., Miami Beach, Fla., and Milford, Mass., Police Departments; and the Connecticut State Police. (this information was found in an article on http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-14-2008/0004774504&EDATE=)

1 sourceArchive 2008–2016

CSEC2011

Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, 2011

United States US

GIOVANNI VAZQUEZ, also known as “Screech,” 24, of Norwalk, pleaded guilty on September 29, 2011 before United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport to one count of transportation of an individual with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The charge stems from VAZQUEZ’ involvement in an interstate prostitution enterprise that included the sex trafficking of two minor victims. According to court documents and statements made in court, VAZQUEZ and others were involved in a prostitution business. In pleading guilty, VAZQUEZ admitted that, in November 2010, he and a co-defendant transported a victim from Connecticut to New York to engage in prostitution. VAZQUEZ also admitted that he and others trafficked other victims, including two minors who were 14-years-old and 17-years-old, across state lines to engage in prostitution.

Needs a sourceArchive 2008–2016

CSEC2006

Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States, 2006

United States US

Corey Davis was the ring-leader of a sex-trafficking ring that spanned at least three states, and exploited as many as 20 women, including minors one of which was only 12 years old. Davis lured victims to his operation with promises of modeling contracts and a glamorous lifestyle. Davis then forced them into a grueling schedule of dancing and performing at strip clubs in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. When the clubs closed, Davis forced the victims to walk the streets until 4:00 or 5:00 A.M. propositioning customers. The indictment also alleged that Davis beat many of the victims to force them to work for him and that he also used physical abuse as punishment for disobeying the stringent rules he imposed to isolate and control them. The victims earned up to $5,000 a night in these activities, which Davis confiscated and kept for himself. more info at: http://newhaven.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/2007/nh031607a.htm

1 sourceArchive 2008–2016