A dozen leaders of Imperial Valley Ministries,
including the former pastor, are charged in an indictment unsealed today
with subjecting dozens of mostly homeless people to forced labor,
coercing them to surrender welfare benefits and compelling them to
panhandle up to nine hours a day, six days a week, for the financial
benefit of the church leaders, the U.S. attorney said.
The defendants were arrested Tuesday in El Centro, San Diego and
Brownsville, Texas and charged with conspiracy, forced labor, document
servitude and benefits fraud.
“The indictment alleges an appalling abuse of power by church officials
who preyed on vulnerable homeless people with promises of a warm bed and
meals,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “These victims were held
captive, stripped of their humble financial means, their identification,
their freedom and their dignity.”
Church leaders charged in forced labor of homeless people | fox5sandiego.com
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