Amendment 13

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

This amendment declares the freedom of previously enslaved individuals.
 
Feds charge three Kansas City-area companies with labor trafficking


Kansas City Business Journal


Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 1:22pm CDT - Last Modified: Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 1:58pm CDT ...Three Kansas City-area companies and 12 individuals were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for labor racketeering, forced labor trafficking, and immigration and other violations in 14 states, acting U.S. Attorney Matt Whitworth said.


The indictments fall under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Whitworth, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said in a release.


The companies named in the indictment are Giant Labor Solutions LLC of Kansas City, Crystal Management Inc. of Mission and Five Star Cleaning LLC of Overland Park.


The 45-count indictment also names Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev, 30, who owns or controls the three companies, Nodir Yunusov, 22, and Rustamjon Shukurov, 21, all Uzbekistan citizens living in Mission; Ilkham Fazilov, 44, and Nodirbek Abdoollayev, 27, Uzbekistan citizens living in Kansas City; Viorel Simon, 27, and Alexandru Frumasache, 23, Moldova citizens living in Kansas City, Kan.; Kristin Dougherty, 49, of Ellisville, Mo.; Andrew Cole, 53, of St. Charles, Mo.; Abdukakhar Azizkhodjaev, 49, an Uzbekistan citizen living in Panama City, Fla.; and Sandjar Agzamov, 27, and Jakhongir Kakhkharov, 29, Uzbekistan citizens who recently left the United States and are living abroad.


“This RICO indictment alleges an extensive and profitable criminal enterprise in which hundreds of illegal aliens were employed at hotels and other businesses across the country,” Whitworth said in the release. “The defendants allegedly used false information to acquire fraudulent work visas for these foreign nationals. Many of their employees were allegedly victims of human trafficking who were coerced to work in violation of the terms of their visa without proper pay and under the threat of deportation. The defendants also required them to reside together in crowded, substandard and overpriced apartments.”


Many of the workers were employed at hotels in the Kansas City area and in Branson, Mo., Whitworth said.


The indictment alleges that since January 2001, Askarkhodjaev has been the leader of a criminal enterprise and directed the rest of the co-defendants in carrying out unlawful activities, including forced labor trafficking, identity theft, harboring illegal aliens, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, transporting illegal aliens, visa fraud, extortion, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, wire fraud and inducing the illegal entry of foreign nationals.


The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government all interest in any property involved in the alleged offenses and all property derived from the proceeds obtained from the alleged offenses, including a monetary judgment of at least $6 million, Whitworth said in the release.


Those found guilty of racketeering can be sentenced to as much as 20 years in prison, fined as much as $250,000 or both. According to federal statutes, those found guilty of forced labor trafficking, mail fraud, money laundering, extortion and wire fraud also may be subject to a sentence of as much as 20 years in federal prison without parole.

This article discusses modern day slavery in Kansas City. Regardless of its ethical problems and its illegally individuals still use slavery as a source of cheap labor. Slaves are still be trafficed in from other countries just as they were trafficed in from Africa at our countries founding.



This video includes songs sung by African American slaves as a way of communication.