A couple from Simi Valley has been taken into custody, facing allegations of exploiting immigrants seeking asylum by forcing them into domestic labor and siphoning their earnings, according to an official announcement from the Department of Justice. Carolina Rojas, 50, and Jairo John Gastelo, 45, have been charged with a series of offenses including conspiracy to commit forced labor and forced labor, among others. Rojas also faces additional charges including human trafficking and tampering with a witness, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
The indictment portrays a distressing narrative in which the couple purportedly conspired, from as early as November 2021 through March 2024, to deliberately prey upon individuals from Latin American countries, luring them to the United States under the guise of promise, only to ensnare them in a suffocating web of coercion at their Simi Valley residence. Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally condemned the couple's alleged actions, saying, "The enforcement of our immigration laws is critical to preventing forced labor and human trafficking. We will hold accountable those that violate these laws," in a statement made by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
It is further alleged that Rojas not only orchestrated the victims’ entry into the country but also schemed with local businesses such as McDonald's in Simi Valley to employ these individuals. Money earned from such employment was routinely seized by Rojas and Gastelo as supposed repayment for the fees associated with their smuggling into the U.S. Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of HSI Los Angeles detailed how the defendants went to great lengths to enrich themselves at the expense of these vulnerable individuals, with their indictment revealing the extensive measures they took.
Moreover, Rojas is accused of having helped the victims acquire fraudulent social security and permanent resident cards to secure jobs, a method employed to ensure continued control over their finances, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California. If found guilty, the statutory maximum sentences they could face include five years for conspiracy to commit forced labor and twenty years for each count of forced labor. Rojas, facing additional charges, could potentially see a maximum sentence of twenty years for each related to trafficking concerning forced labor, ten years for giving immigration documents to unauthorized persons, ten years for encouraging and inducing illegal entry, and another twenty for witness tampering.
The trial for Rojas and Gastelo is scheduled for April 8, following their appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. The couple remained detained as they awaited their trial. Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated this case, and Assistant United States Attorneys K. Afia Bondero of the Major Frauds Section and Matt Coe-Odess of the General Crimes Section are in charge of the prosecution.
