Department of Justice U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Two Mexican Nationals Charged With Conspiracy to Provide and Obtain Forced Labor

Two Mexican nationals, who were working in theHomestead,Florida area and elsewhere, have been charged by indictment with participating in a conspiracy to provide and obtain forced labor. WifredoA. Ferrer, United States Attorney forthe Southern District of Florida, and Robert C. Hutchinson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), made the announcement.

Agustin Mendez-Vazquez, 43, and his son, Ever Mendez-Perez, 23, both originally of Mexico, were charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to provide and obtain forced labor, in violation of Title 18,UnitedStates Code,Section 1594(b).Agustin Mendez-Vazquez was also charged with one count of providing and obtaining forced labor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1589(a).

If convicted, Agustin Mendez-Vazquez faces a statutory maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. Ever Mendez-Perez faces a statutory maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

According to court records,Agustin Mendez-Vazquez andEverMendez-Perez, who work as unlicensed labor subcontractors on tomato farms in the Homestead area, utilized physical force, threats of physical force, threats of deportation, and debt bondage to maintain control over other migrant workers.

Workers under the defendants' control were beaten if they did not work every day; were subjected to harassment and abuse; and were required to relinquish large portions of their paychecks - sometimes their entire paychecks - to the Mendezes.

The defendants are currently being held without bond pending trial Mr.Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of ICE-HSI. The case is being prosecuted by AssistantU.S. Attorney Benjamin Widlanski. An indictment is only an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Based on the theories you have learnt, write a two-page (double spaced) policy. Imagine you are an advisor to the Mayor or human trafficking task force. Make policy recommendations to the mayor.

Be concise and clear in your recommendation. In general ,mayor shave a busy schedule. They appreciate clear and concise analysis of the issue and policy recommendations. You should critically think about the forced labor and what effects it has on the country as well as victims.

Analyze the variables that may have affected the offender's decision to conspire to provide and obtain forced labor.In your recommendation ,discuss the elements of crime and strategies to prevent and control this type of crimes .Your policy recommendation should demonstrate the links between crime causation theories and crime prevention policies.

Your policy paper should discuss the elements of crime and recognize the origins of criminal behavior, public policies, prevention strategies and the United States law as depicted in this case. Your paper should address all the significant clinical applications of the crime theories in developing public policies.