NORFOLK, Va. — At least three people are under arrest after a labor trafficking investigation in Hampton Roads.
In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Homeland Security Investigations in Norfolk said the owners and managers of Magnolia Cleaning Services pleaded guilty to fraud and human trafficking charges.
Prosecutors said they operated a family-based enterprise where they illegally transported and employed immigrants from El Salvador.
They also said the business forced people and children to work long hours and threatened them with violence and deportation.
"One teenage victim told investigators that for a two year period from the ages of 14 to 16 years old, they were forced to work 11 hour overnight shifts before attending their high school classes," Jim Stitzel, the Assistant Special Agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Norfolk, said in a press conference.
Prosecutors said the business employed at least 100 illegal immigrants.
A judge sentenced one person to 30 months, and two others to more than 50 months.