‘Instilled fear’: Boston pizza chain owner convicted on charges of abusing workers

BOSTON — The owner of a Boston pizza chain who allegedly abused and threatened to deport some of his workers was convicted Friday on forced labor charges, Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said.

The owner of Stash’s Pizza, Stavros Papantoniadis, also known Steve Papantoniadis, 48, of Westwood, forced or threatened five men and one woman to work through intimidation, physical abuse or threats of deportation, Levy says. The pizza chain owner with locations in Dorchester and Roslindale thinly staffed his shops and purposely employed workers without immigration status to work 14 or more hours a day behind the scenes and sometimes as many as 7 days a week.

In order to keep the workers in line, Papantoniadis made his employees believe that he would physically hurt them or turn them over to deportation authorities. The Department of Justice says Papantoniadis monitored the workers with surveillance cameras, which he would watch on his cell phone, and constantly demeaned, insulted and harassed them.

Levy says that when Papantoniadis learned that one worker planned to quit, he violently choked him. When others also expressed their intentions to quit, Papantoniadis told one victim that he would kill him and call immigration authorities. Another worker was allegedly threatened by Papantoniadis telling the worker that he knew where he lived. When a worker tried to leave and drive away from one the shops, Papantoniadis allegedly chased him down Route 1 in Norwood, Mass., and reported the victim to local police to pressure the victim to return to work at the pizza shop.

“Today’s guilty verdict sends a powerful message to abusive employers that exploiting employees through fear and intimidation will never be tolerated. I hope that this verdict also alerts others who may be victims of exploitation and harm by employers, that the federal government will not sit idly by. We will vigorously investigate and prosecute any employer who thinks they are above the law and physically and mentally abuses employees, withholds wages due, or threatens and intimidates workers,” said Levy. “Mr. Papantoniadis preyed on the desperation of those without immigration status, subjecting them to violence and threats of deportation. Forced labor is a serious violation of human rights, and no one in the United States should live in fear of abuse and coercion in their workplace. I commend the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners who worked collaboratively to bring this defendant to justice.”

“Stavros Papantoniadis instilled fear in his employees. He underpaid and threatened them, some with fear of arrest and many with physical abuse. Today, the jury saw the indignities his employees were subjected to and have found Papantoniadis guilty of forced labor violations,” said Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect – especially those who place their trust in their employer. HSI is committed to ensuring those who violate forced labor laws are held accountable and brought to justice.”

In addition to the Dorchester and Roslindale locations, Stash’s Pizza also previously operated locations in Norwood, Norwell, Randolph as Boston Pizza Company, Weymouth as Pacini’s Italian Eatery, and Wareham.

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

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