Woodico Court, Houston, TX, United States
Harris County SO received information about illegal aliens being held against their will. Deputies found 2 females. One had been smuggled into the US for $2500. Defendants were recruiting illegals from Mexico, paying their smuggling fee, and forcing the aliens to work off the debt by selling pirated CDs and DVDs. The victims lived with the defendants and were assaulted, threatened, and intimidated with threatening phone calls to their families in Mexico.
Location
United States · Woodico Court, Houston, TX · 2010 (location generalized to protect survivors)
Response & intervention
Harris County Sheriff's office, the Texas Attorney General's office, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance worked together on the investigation. The case was prosecuted by AUSAs Kebharu Smith, Ruben Perez, and Joe Magliolo. Defendants pled guilty on 4/22/11 for conspiring to force labor and conspiring to distribute pirated CDs and DVDs.
Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don't have a verifiable source on file yet — use “Report a problem” below to add one.