During the period from 1999 to September 2001, the defendants Bradley and O’Dell, lured a total of 5 seasonal workers from Jamaica to work at the defendants’ tree removal company in New Hampshire. On two separate occasions, the defendants traveled to Jamaica to recruit workers. The men who agreed to come to the United States were promised wages of between 10-20 USD per hour and lodging on the defendants’ property.

Once in the United States, victims were paid less than the promised wage, and were housed in substandard conditions. For example, the first two workers (L.W. & G.C.), were forced to live in a camping trailer that initially lacked basic necessities such as running water and heat. To maintain control over the victims, the defendants subjected the workers to verbal assaults, threats, and physical abuse. The defendants also confiscated victims’ identity documents and plane tickets. When L.W. fled to New York, Bradley, in the presence of the remaining workers, threatened to travel to New York with his gun to track down the runaway. After the defendants recruited a second group of workers (M.S., A.F., and D.H.), to New Hampshire, O’Dell told the three men that Bradley planned to hire someone in Jamaica to “destroy” the victim who fled to New York. The defendants also impeded the victims’ access to medical care, and closely monitored their movements outside of the defendants’ property.

Eventually, several workers fled the property and contacted local law enforcement.