Couple accused of trafficking in Brentwood
A Brentwood couple is facing human trafficking charges after they allegedly recruited a young woman from outside the United States to fraudulently enter the country and work as a nanny for their young children without proper compensation, authorities said Monday.
In 2017, Ijeoma Chukwunyelu and Nnamdi Onwuzulike instructed the young woman to obtain a passport and visa by falsely claiming that she was coming to California to attend a wedding, according to the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office. The woman complied because of her economic situation and fears that someone else would obtain the job, officials said.
Once the woman — who was not identified — arrived in the U.S. in April 2017, Chukwunyelu and Onwuzulike allegedly took possession of her passport and visa. They required her to sleep in the children’s room,
cook for the family, and clean the home without breaks, days off or overtime compensation, prosecutors said.
The woman was not aware of her rights under California labor law and was particularly vulnerable because she feared deportation after her visa expired, authorities said.
In October 2018, a worker for ambulance company American Medical Response recognized the woman as a potential victim and alerted authorities.
Prosecutors filed the charges, which represent the county’s first criminal labor trafficking case, following a twoyear joint investigation by several local, state and federal agencies working through the Contra Costa County Human Trafficking Task Force, officials said.
“As the COVID19 pandemic causes massive job losses and severe economic instability, California workers are more vulnerable than ever to exploitative employment practices,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. “Our collaborative efforts on this investigation led to a successful filing of this case. I am proud to work with our partners at all levels of government to protect workers and seek justice for those harmed by predatory behavior.”
Kellin R. Cooper, an attorney representing Chukwunyelu and Onwuzulike, said he was surprised that the prosecution characterized this as a human trafficking case.
“The reality of this case could not be more different from what prosecution thinks,” Cooper said. “We are incredibly confident that when they have their day in court and the truth emerges, they will be exonerated.”
Chukwunyelu and Onwuzulike have pleaded not guilty to labor trafficking, extortion and conspiracy to violate minimum wage and hourly work requirements, officials said.
“The experience of this domestic worker represents countless more who are preyed upon because of economic desperation. These criminal acts are not only illegal but immoral,” California Labor Commissioner Lilia GarciaBrower said. “Human trafficking is modernday slavery, and we are committed to stopping it by partnering with agencies to eradicate this horrific crime.”
“The experience of this domestic worker represents countless more who are preyed upon because of economic desperation.”
Lilia GarciaBrower, California labor commissioner