Texas restaurant owner arrested on charges of keeping migrant in slave-like conditions
The migrant survived on scraps of food left behind by customers, according to the report.
By Michael Karlis on Fri, Nov 4, 2022 at 2:18 pm
A Texas restaurant owner is behind bars and accused of human trafficking after allegedly purchasing a migrant and forcing him to work as slave labor, West Texas TV station KTAB reports.
Hai Zhuang, owner of Fun Noodle Bar in Abilene, is accused of buying Javier Rodriguez-Castro, a Honduran migrant who entered the county in January 2021, according to KTAB. The restauranteur was arrested Wednesday, police told the station.
Rodriguez-Castro told investigators he was first transported to a smuggler's stash house, where his passport was taken away, KTAB reports. The migrant then ended up at the noodle shop, where Zhuang allegedly handed over large bills to the smuggler, according to the station.
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Besides being barred from leaving the house, Rodriguez-Castro was denied restroom breaks and often worked shifts that lasted up to 12 hours, KTAB reports. He survived on scraps of food left behind by customers and sometimes received beatings from Zhuang, according to the news story.
More:
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-restaurant-owner-arrested-on-charges-of-keeping-migrant-in-slave-like-conditions-30253920
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Report: Abilene restaurant owner accused of human trafficking, forcing immigrant to work for free
by: Erica Garner
Posted: Nov 3, 2022 / 10:27 AM CDT
Updated: Nov 3, 2022 / 10:34 AM CDT
Hai Zhuang, owner of Fun Noodle Bar in Abilene, is accused of human trafficking for forcing an undocumented immigrant to work for free.
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The owner of an Abilene restaurant has been charged with human trafficking, accused of holding an undocumented immigrant in a home and forcing him to work with no money or food for six months.
Hai Zhuang was arrested on a Trafficking of Persons warrant Wednesday in connection to the allegations. He remains held in the Taylor County Jail on a $200,000 bond.
Court documents state an undocumented immigrant gave a statement to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Human Trafficking Unit in February, outlining the allegations against Zhuang.
This immigrant told investigators he was smuggled into the United States with 12 others from Hondarus in January 2021, then was taken to a stash house in Houston before he was transported to Abilene.
More:
https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/crime/report-abilene-restaurant-owner-accused-of-human-trafficking-forcing-immigrant-to-work-for-free/
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