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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
While living in Juventino, Mexico, Olivia Zepeda recruited four workers to work for her three sons’ roofing business, Golden Roofing LLC. The workers signed four-year work contracts with the brothers. They took a bus to a border town in July 2006, and a smuggler took them across the border. In Austin, Texas, the victims met up with two of the brothers (Juan and Jenaro Gutierrez) who drove them to St. Louis. The smuggler was allegedly paid $4,000 per worker. After arriving in St. Louis, the victims were abused, threatened, and their activities were restricted. Their smuggling debt kept increasing every time they asked about it.
Response and intervention
Jeronimo Gutierrez, Juan Gutierrez, and Jenaro Gutierrez were charged in September 2007 with smuggling, transporting, harboring illegal aliens, and employing illegal aliens. On December 17 each was sentenced to one year in prison. Arrests were made in February, 2005. The case was investigated by ICE, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, and the State Department Diplomatic Security Service.