Chicago Couple Kept Children As Slaves
A federal investigation into child labor trafficking has resulted in additional criminal charges against a couple residing in a Chicago suburb who allegedly forced two undocumented Guatemalan children to provide labor and services for the couple’s private financial gain.
SANTOS TEODORO AC-SALAZAR, 24, and OLGA CHOC LAJ, 31, both of whom resided in Aurora, are charged with conspiracy to conceal, harbor, and shield from detection the two children, who were 15 years old and approximately 10 years old when they entered the United States in 2019, according to an indictment returned in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The indictment also charges the defendants with individual harboring counts in connection with both victims, a forced labor charge relating to the younger victim, and a forced labor charge that was previously filed earlier this year in relation to the older victim.
The defendants are in law enforcement custody.
According to the indictment, Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj are Guatemalan citizens who agreed to separately enter the United States unlawfully. The pair used smugglers and third parties to locate the victims in Guatemala as the children with whom the pair would unlawfully enter into the U.S., the indictment states. Once in the U.S., Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj allegedly harbored the victims in a residence in Aurora by, among other things, failing to enroll the victims in school, prohibiting them from leaving the residence except in limited circumstances, and instructing them to provide false information to third parties, including law enforcement authorities. Ac-Salazar and Choc Laj also are alleged to have forced the victims to provide labor and services for the couple’s private financial gain.
What is Child Labor Trafficking?
Child Labor Trafficking can be defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons under the age of 18 by other than legitimate means. It is basically the buying, selling, or purchasing of young or physically strong children for the purpose of exploitation in the form of forced labor or work under conditions detrimental to their health and well being.
Some of the important categories of Child Labor Trafficking include:
Crimes against humanity (e.g. pimping, prostitution)
Drug trafficking
Forced marriage
Welfare exploitation
Chicago Couple Kept Children As Slaves