Matt J. Whitworth, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that eight Uzbekistan nationals were among 12 defendants indicted by a federal grand jury on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charges related to labor racketeering, forced labor trafficking and immigration and other violations in 14 states.

"This RICO indictment alleges an extensive and profitable criminal enterprise in which hundreds of illegal aliens were employed at hotels and other businesses across the country,” Whitworth said. “The defendants allegedly used false information to acquire fraudulent work visas for these foreign nationals. Many of their employees were allegedly victims of human trafficking who were coerced to work in violation of the terms of their visa without proper pay and under the threat of deportation. The defendants also required them to reside together in crowded, substandard and overpriced apartments.

Many of those workers, added Whitworth, were employed at hotels in the Kansas City area and in Branson, Mo.

“The indictment alleges that this criminal enterprise lured victims to the United States under the guise of legitimate jobs and a better life, only to treat them as modern-day slaves under the threat of deportation,” said James Gibbons, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “The alleged conspiracy not only victimized foreign workers, but also defrauded U.S. businesses and displaced legal workers in the name of profit. ICE is committed to working closely with its law enforcement partners to target and dismantle human trafficking organizations that flout our nation’s immigration laws.” Based in Chicago, Gibbons oversees a six-state area, including Missouri.