Minors Forced To Work In Illinois Factories, Hotels As Part Of Trafficking Scheme: DOJ

CHAMPAIGN, IL — Three siblings in central Illinois pleaded guilty to charges filed in connection with a human trafficking scheme in which the trio brought minors to the U.S. from Guatemala and forced them to work in homes, hotels and factories, according to authorities.

Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, 34, of Guatemala, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to three counts of forced labor and two counts of conspiracy, authorities said. Her siblings, 37-year-old Catarina Domingo-Juan and 43-year-old Domingo Francisco-Juan, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy and forced labor, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which added Francisco-Juan also pleaded guilty to kidnapping-related charges.

“Traffickers deftly use the promise of America to lure adults and children into the United States from thousands of miles away, only to then turn around and reveal their promises were false as part of a coercive scheme to compel their labor,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the department’s Civil Rights Division, in the news release.

The two minors, whose mothers were promised education and a better life for their daughters, worked in the siblings' homes between December 2015 and March 2021, according to authorities, who said the girls were subjected to physical, verbal and psychological abuse. The minors also worked at local hotels and factories, authorities said. Domingo-Castaneda and Domingo-Juan targeted a third victim as well, who worked in homes and businesses, according to the department.

The trio will face 20 years to life in prison as well as restitution when they are sentenced, according to authorities.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Chicago, the U.S. Marshals Service and several Champaign-area agencies, authorities said.

Anyone with information about human trafficking is asked to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.