By Ruth Manuel-Logan on Aug 19th 2010 9:26AM
Filed under: News
An East Orange, N.J., Togolese man was sentenced to 26 months in a federal prison in connection with the
forced labor of dozens of young West African girls and women working throughout New Jersey hair braiding salons on Wednesday.
Geoffry Kouevi was just one link in a chain of human trafficking conspirators who brought the girls and women to this country with fake visas. The victims were required to work six to seven days a week for 8 to 14 hours a day and were required to hand over their earnings, including tips to Kouevi and his accomplices Lassissi Afolabi, his ex-wife (Akouavi Kpade Afolabi) and Dereck Hounakey (Akouavi's son).
Court documents state that the women were not allowed to keep any identification, not even their passports. They were also not permitted to leave their residence, make any friends and were forbidden to contact family members. If the strict rules were broken, the women would be punished.
Hounakey has admitted to having sex with many of the women, including a minor.
Lassissi Afolabi was sentenced last month to more than 24 years in prison, after pleading guilty to conspiring with his ex-wife and her son to commit forced labor.
While Akouavi's son has received a 55-month prison term, Akouavi will be sentenced next month.
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Comments: (6)
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By: zhengka2b on 8/19/2010 10:04AM
Court documents state that the women were not allowed to keep any identification, not even their passports. They were also not permitted to leave their residence, make any friends and were forbidden to contact family members. If the strict rules were broken, the women would be punished.My boyfriend thinks the same with me. He is eight years older than me, lol. We met online at agelessmat e.c om a nice and free place for younger women and older men, or older women and younger men, to interact with each other. Maybe you wanna check out or tell your friends.
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By: paul on 8/19/2010 11:27AM
Now that's funny!
Come on ladies!! Find your oppressive womanizer here on our site!!
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By: ohok on 8/19/2010 10:42AM
so r they now being sent back to their country?
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By: paul on 8/19/2010 11:08AM
We should hold them here and force them to labor until they pay off all the back taxes, unpaid salaries, court costs & jail costs, and the boat ticket home.
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By: bob on 8/19/2010 3:56PM
Kinda sound like slavery to me.
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By: rasfanta on 8/25/2010 4:39PM
They took advantage of people which seems to be human nature if allowed. Unfortunately, it is allowed here in america. When they tie health care to employment, this is forced enslavement. When they make you work 2-3 jobs to earn a living wage, this is enslavement. When they routineize, change job description, deskill and micromanage workers, this is enslavement. When they take half of your earnings in taxes, this is enslavement. Yes, fellow americans, we are slaves here, too.
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