A Micronesian couple charged in an Ottumwa human trafficking case has pleaded guilty in federal court.
In a press release, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Iowa, announced the convictions of 46-year-old Nesly Mwarecheong, and 51-year-old Bertino Weires. Each defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking.
This comes after a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Iowa had returned a five-count indictment on the two defendants.
According to their plea agreements, the two convinced two victims from Micronesia to leave their homes in 2019 in return for money being sent back to their families
Isolation, limited communication, debt, and other various methods were used to compel the victims to continue to work at a meat processing plant in Ottumwa.
"These defendants used the allure of jobs in the United States to entice the victims, and then exploited them and profited off their hard work," said Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
Per the plea agreement, they have agreed to pay $70,000 in restitution to the victims.
Their sentencing date is set for Feb. 15, 2023.