A Nigerian woman identified as Bolaji Bolarinwa has been sentenced to 45 months in prison.
Bolarinwa was sentenced for forced labor and other crimes related to her coercive scheme to force two victims to perform domestic labor and childcare in her home in the United States.
The judgment was passed on Bolarinwa by Attorney Alina Habba and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, according to a statement by the US Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated that Bolarinwa exploited her relationship with the victims to lure them to the US with false promises.
Dhillon added that the defendant confiscated the victims’ immigration documents and subjected them to threats, physical force, and mental abuse to coerce them to work long hours for minimal pay.
Dhillon said the prosecution should send a strong message that such forced labor will not be tolerated in US communities.
He added that the Justice Department is committed to fully enforcing federal human trafficking statutes to vindicate the rights of survivors and also hold human traffickers accountable for the shameful exploitation of vulnerable victims.
