Man arrested in North Dakota in forced labor, human-trafficking case pleads not guilty

ND man pleads not guilty in human-trafficking case

FARGO, N.D. — A man tied to what federal authorities say is the largest human-trafficking case ever prosecuted in U.S. history has pleaded not guilty to federal charges.

The Fargo Forum reports that 41-year-old Shane Germann, formerly of the North Dakota cities of Hope and Valley City, entered his plea Monday in Hawaii’s U.S. District Court, where five other men also face federal charges in connection with the conspiracy.

Germann is named as an onsite manager, regional supervisor and security guard for a California-based company whose officials are accused of luring about 400 Thai nationals into forced labor in the United States, including on a Hawaiian pineapple farm.

Germann turned himself in to authorities in Fargo earlier this month and was released on his own recognizance.

Information from: The Forum, www.in-forum.com