By Deborah Nnamdi
A Nigerian woman, Bolaji Bolarinwa, has been sentenced to 45 months in prison in the United States for engaging in forced labor and related offenses.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, Bolarinwa ran a coercive scheme in which she compelled two individuals to work in her home, performing domestic chores and childcare under abusive conditions.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division explained that Bolarinwa lured the victims to the U.S. under pretenses and then seized their immigration documents. She reportedly used threats, physical violence, and psychological abuse to force them to work long hours for little pay.
Dhillon emphasized that the sentence sends a clear message that forced labor will not be tolerated in American communities. He reaffirmed the Justice Department’s commitment to enforcing federal human trafficking laws to protect victims and prosecute offenders.
