A woman from Burlington County, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for forced labor and related crimes. Bolaji Bolarinwa, 51, of Moorestown, was found guilty of two counts of forced labor, one count of alien harboring for financial gain, and two counts of document servitude. The sentencing took place in Camden federal court under U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams.
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba stated, "This sentence vindicates the rights of two vulnerable women who the defendant subjected to grueling hours and coercive abuse in her home." She emphasized the commitment of her office and the Department of Justice to support human trafficking victims.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon highlighted that Bolarinwa exploited her relationship with the victims by luring them to the United States with false promises. Dhillon remarked, "The defendant confiscated the victims’ immigration documents and subjected them to threats, physical force, and mental abuse."
Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly from the FBI Newark Field Office commented on Bolarinwa's actions: "Bolarinwa lured women with false promises, held them captive, and forced them clean her home and care for her children."
Court documents revealed that between December 2015 and October 2016, Bolarinwa recruited two victims from Nigeria to perform domestic labor through coercion involving physical harm threats and psychological abuse. One victim arrived in December 2015 on a student visa; both were coerced into working under duress until October 2016 when one victim reported their situation.
In addition to imprisonment, Judge Williams imposed three years of supervised release on Bolarinwa along with a $35,000 fine and restitution payments totaling $87,518.72 to the victims.
The case was investigated by FBI special agents led by Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark as part of efforts coordinated by New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force formed earlier this year.
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender for New Jersey’s District alongside Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson from Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
