California woman gets 6 years in prison for forced labor and related charges

California woman sentenced in forced labor case

OAKLAND, Calif. — A Northern California woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for luring a Peruvian woman to the U.S. with the promise of a job then confiscating her travel documents and forcing her to work for no pay.

Maribel de la Rosa Dann was sentenced Wednesday after being convicted of forced labor and related charges in connection to her treatment of Zoraida Pena-Canal.

The defendant also was ordered to serve three years probation and pay $123,740 in restitution.

Attorneys and advocates said during the trial that the public may be more familiar with human trafficking victims who are forced into prostitution, but cases of forced labor are at least as widespread.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California woman is facing up to 20 years in prison for luring a Peruvian woman to the U.S. with promises of a job then confiscating her travel documents and forcing her to work for no pay.

Maribel de la Rosa Dann is scheduled for sentencing Wednesday. She was convicted of forced labor and related charges in connection with her treatment of Zoraida Pena-Canal.

Attorneys and advocates say the public may be more familiar with human trafficking victims who are forced into prostitution, but cases of forced labor are at least as widespread.

Numbers are hard to come by, but a study by the University of California, Berkeley Human Rights Center estimated there were nearly 20,000 victims of forced labor in this country over a five-year period.

Most were in California, Florida, New York and Texas.