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    • Stavros “Steve” Papantoniadis convicted of forced labor of migrants
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    Stavros “Steve” Papantoniadis convicted of forced labor of migrants

    Online Niel Posted on

    Stavros ‘Steve’ Papantoniadis, 49-year-old owner of Stash’s Pizza, was sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for forced labor offenses against his migrant workers.

    The owner of a Massachusetts pizza chain has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for physically abusing six employees and threatening them with further violence and deportation if they did not comply with his “excessive workplace demands,” it has been announced federal authorities.

    Stavros Papantoniadis, also known as Steve Papantoniadis, was sentenced to eight and a half years in a Massachusetts district courtroom on Monday after being found guilty of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor, according to a Department of Justice press release.

    “Labor trafficking exploits the vulnerable through fear and intimidation, all in pursuit of the almighty dollar. This is what Stavros Papantoniadis did when he violated the rights of the people who work in his restaurants. He deliberately hired foreign nationals who were not authorized to work in the United States and then turned their lack of immigration status against them, threatening them with deportation and violence to keep them under his control,” said U.S. Attorney Joshua S Levy in the statement.

    Steven C. Boozang, Papantoniadis’ attorney, told USA TODAY that his client was a “pillar of the community” and had no altercations with any of the hundreds of people he previously employed since starting his business long ago with over 32 years.

    “He had done a lot for the community,” Boozang said.

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    What did Steve Papantoniadis do?

    The 49-year-old Westwood, Mass. man forced or attempted to force five men and one woman to overwork at his Stash’s Pizza store, abusing them and repeatedly threatening to contact immigration authorities, according to Department of Justice.

    Federal prosecutors said Papantoniadis intentionally “understaffed” Stash’s Pizza’s two locations in Dorchester and Roslindale and hired people without immigration status to work 14 or more hours a day for up to seven days a week. One of the employees allegedly worked between 84 and 119 hours per week, according to a federal complaint obtained by USA TODAY.

    In addition to threatening the workers with physical harm and deportation, Papantoniadis monitored them with surveillance cameras and “constantly demeaned, insulted and harassed them,” according to the Justice Department. When Papantoniadis learned one of the workers was planning to quit, he “violently choked him,” federal authorities said.

    When other workers told Papantoniadis they planned to quit, the owner told one they would “kill him” and call immigration authorities, while he threatened another by saying he knew where he lived, the Justice Department said. Another worker told authorities Papantoniadis followed him on Route 1 in Norwood, Mass., and falsely reported him to local police so he could return to work at the pizzeria, according to the release.

    Lawyer: Steve Papantoniadis forced labor allegations ‘highly suspicious’

    Boozang said the six workers’ allegations against Papantoniadis were “highly suspicious” for several reasons, including that the Stash’s Pizza owner paid for their vacations, bought their children Christmas presents and even paid for one of their weddings.

    In addition to the things Papantoniadis allegedly did for the six workers, Boozang said he found it strange that no previous employees complained about his client.

    “(Papantoniadis) has had hundreds and hundreds of employees over the years, many who have returned,” according to the attorney.

    Papantoniadis also paid the six workers up to $17 an hour for the 70-hour work weeks they requested, Boozang said.

    “He gave them what they wanted,” Boozang said.

    Civil case against Steve Papantoniadis settled in 2019

    The U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (DOL-WHD) filed a civil case against Papantoniadis on March 24, 2017, for “overtime pay violations,” according to court documents.

    The civil suit was settled on March 27, 2019, and five of the six workers who were part of the criminal case received back wages and liquidated damages through Papantoniadis’ settlement with DOL-WHD, court records show.

    Boozang said the forced labor allegations against Papantoniadis “came out of the woodwork” and that the six workers “read the script.”

    Although Boozang’s suspicions were raised during Papantoniadis’ trial, a jury found his client guilty in June.

    “Papantoniadis exploited and abused his employees, denying them the basic dignity that every person deserves,” Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge of New England Homeland Security Investigations, said in the statement. “Today’s significant sentence sends a message to employers – employees deserve to work safely, free from harassment and abuse, and exploitative employers will be held accountable.”

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