In court on Tuesday, the Savannah Morning News was present when three defendants entered guilty pleas to charges in Operation Blooming Onion, one of the biggest human trafficking investigations ever brought by the US Department of Justice (USDOJ).
In court on February 27, at the Waycross Federal Courthouse, 601 Tebeau St., Daniel Mendoza entered a plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud; Donna Michelle Rojas entered a plea to one count of conspiracy to engage in forced labor; and Antonio Chavez Ramos entered a plea to one count of misprision of a felony.
Federal prosecutors dropped several additional charges in the indictment in return for the guilty pleas. Two charges against Mendoza—conspiracy to engage in forced labor and conspiracy to launder money—were dropped by the prosecution.
Five counts against Rojas, including conspiracy to conduct mail fraud and forced labor, were dropped by the prosecution. Three charges against Chavez Ramos were dropped by the prosecution: conspiracy to engage in money laundering, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Mendoza received a sentence of one year and one day, while Chavez Ramos received a probationary period.
All three offenders entered guilty pleas and agreed to cooperate with the government, compensate the victims, and be permanently or temporarily prevented from applying for H-2A visas.
Under the H-2A program, foreign nationals can be temporarily hired for agricultural employment in the United States by U.S. employers or agents who comply with certain regulatory standards.
All three of the accused have been out on bond for at least two years, and if they maintain good behavior, they will be out on bond until their sentencing hearing, which has not yet been set.
Which Crimes Did the Defendants Enter a Guilty Plea for?
The guilty pleas are the most recent development in a case that has lasted over two years, and they indicate that defendants in Operation Blooming Onion—particularly those who have assisted federal authorities—will receive favorable sentences.
During the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Gilluly cross-examined a Special Agent from the Homeland Security Savannah office, asking yes/no questions regarding the factual basis against all three defendants.
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Mendoza, Stanley Neal McGauley, and Charles Michael King sent a petition to the US government on or around December 10, 2019, asking for 74 H-2A visas for foreign workers to enter the country. Consequently, six victims arrived in the US on or around March 1, 2020.
At the hearing, Gilluly stated, “He had a limited role in this conspiracy, but it was an important one.”
According to Gilluly, Rojas lured foreign laborers to the US and took advantage of them by stealing their passports and threatening to deport them. According to the Special Agent from HSI’s testimony, he spoke with witnesses connected to Rojas. Witnesses bled from the cold and fertilizer when they pulled up onions with their bare hands, according to HSI Special Agent Gilluly. During the execution of search warrants at Rojas’ residence, HSI Special Agents discovered her pocketbook containing many passports and cash that did not belong to her, Gilluly continued.
According to the more comprehensive Operation Blooming Onion indictment, two victims perished as a consequence of the violation, four victims were abducted, and one victim suffered severe sexual abuse and was threatened with death.
Gilluly claimed that Chavez Ramos brought in H-2A laborers and profited financially by doing so in collaboration with Maria Patricio, the main character in the Blooming Onion probe. As an undocumented immigrant, he was prohibited from submitting H-2A visa applications; yet, Patricio did so, and Chavez Ramos oversaw the employees.
According to Gilluly, Chavez Ramos was sentenced to probation based on his “substantial assistance.” He further stated that the government would drop the pending indictment against him for the same reason.
