Father-son owners of 2 Woburn restaurants facing forced labor charges

WOBURN, Mass. — A father and son who own two Woburn restaurants, and a Brazilian relative of theirs, have been conspiring to obtain labor and services from migrants whom they smuggled into the United States from Brazil through threats of serious harm, according to federal prosecutors.

Jesse James Moraes, 65, and Hugo Giovanni Moraes, 43, both of Woburn, and 62-year-old Chelbe Williams Moraes, of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were charged in a superseding indictment with forced labor conspiracy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday.

Jesse Moraes and Hugo Moraes, who own Taste of Brazil or Tudo Na Brasa and The Dog House Bar and Grill, were also charged with forced labor and attempted forced labor. Prosecutors said Jesse Moraes was also charged with labor trafficking and attempted labor trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.

All three men were previously charged with encouraging and inducing and conspiring to encourage and induce, an alien to come to, enter and reside in the U.S. for the purpose of commercial advantage or private financial gain, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, and residence is or will be in violation of the law.

Chelbe Moraes, the brother of Jess and uncle of Hugo, also faces additional charges of money laundering conspiracy and money laundering with intent to promote the smuggling operation and conceal the source of smuggling proceeds, according to federal prosecutors.

“This case is another stark example of the human trafficking that’s happening every single day in our country and our Commonwealth and the heinous lengths some employers go to in the pursuit of profit,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.

According to the charging documents, Chelbe Moraes and his co-conspirators targeted and smuggled migrants from Brazil into the U.S. for an approximate fee between $18,000 and $22,000.

Prosecutors said that Jesse and Hugo Moraes allegedly targeted and recruited the migrants who arrived in the U.S. to work in their Woburn restaurants by promising good jobs and a better life than they had in Brazil and arranging for them to rent or share the rental of one or more apartments owned or controlled by the father and son.

The charging documents also state that Jesse and Hugo Moraes withheld wages from the migrant workers in order to pay off their smuggling debts and forced the migrants to work long hours, often performing difficult manual labor, while subjecting them to threats of serious harm, including financial harm, violence and deportation, in order to prevent them from quitting and demanding better pay and working conditions.

In addition, prosecutors accused Chelbe, Jesse, and Hugo Moraes of giving or offering to give fake documentation to the migrants in order to support asylum claims or false claims of work authorization.

WHAT THESE CHARGES COULD COST

The charges of forced labor, attempted forced labor and forced labor conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

The charge of labor trafficking and attempted labor trafficking provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

The charge of encouraging and inducing, and conspiring to encourage and induce, an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States for financial gain, knowing and in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, and residence is or will be in violation of law provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

The charges of money laundering and money laundering conspiracy provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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