Former LI Wedding Venue Owner Pleads Guilty To Forced Labor

The former owner of Thatched Cottage in Centerport pleaded guilty Wednesday on charges in connection to luring immigrants to the United States and forcing them to work at their catering hall under horrible conditions, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of New York.

Ralph Colamussi, 64, of Huntington, pleaded guilty to forced labor. He faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as restitution and a fine of up to $250,000.

Colamussi is the former owner and operator of Thatched Cottage, which was a popular wedding venue located at 445 E Main St. in Centerport before it closed its doors in 2014. He was also the owner and operator of the Jellyfish Restaurant, a popular bar located next to the Thatched Cottage. Colamussi was arrested in December 2017 along with Glen Cove resident Roberto Villanueva, who served as manager of the Thatched Cottage.

From August 2008 to March 2013, Colamussi and Villanueva recruited employees from the Philippines by falsely promising them jobs with overtime pay as waiters, servers, cooks, chefs and more, officials say. These employees were then illegally made to pay Villanueva and Colamussi money in advance to qualify for the visa interview in the United States and told to conceal those payments from the United States Department of State, officials say.

According to the U.S. Attorney, the workers were brought to the United States on H-2B visas that expired shortly after their arrival. They were then allegedly told by Colamussi and Villanueva to apply for student visas and to tell officials they intended to attend school full-time and had sufficient resources to support themselves during school.

Colamussi and Villanueva would oftentimes deposit funds in the workers' bank accounts to make it appear like they had sufficient funds and would then withdrew the funds once the student visas were approved, officials say. The workers continued to work for Colamussi and Villanueva during their student visas, but would attend school one day a week, officials say.

Once brought to the United States, officials say the employees were forced to:

• Work without overtime and with lower than promised wages.
• Care for Colamussi's relatives, including his father.
• Perform construction work at the Jellyfish Restaurant.

Colamussi and Villanueva threatened to report the workers to immigration authorities if they objected to performing certain jobs or working consecutive shifts, officials say.

Colamussi also allegedly had many workers whose visas had expired living in the basement of his East Northport home and working for him off the books.

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