Human trafficking kingpin sentenced in Canada

The kingpin in what prosecutors described as the largest human trafficking case in Canadian history that used Hungarian men as slaves was sentenced on Tuesday to nine years in prison. Ferenc Domotor, 49, pleaded guilty to running a criminal gang which lured men from his native Hungary with a promise of good jobs and a better life, and then coercing them into forced labor at his stucco companies in Hamilton, Ontario. With time already served, he could spend less than four and a half years in prison. His wife, his son and several relatives were also convicted of related offenses, including welfare fraud, obstruction of justice and coercing the victims into lying to immigration authorities, and jailed. After completing their sentences and paying restitution, they will face deportation. Local media said Domotor and his extended Roma family forced at least 19 people to claim refugee status when they arrived in Canada from the town of Papa in Hungary (150 kilometers west of Budapest), work without pay sometimes as much as 17 hours per day, and sleep on mattresses in a locked basement of his house. The victims were fed only one meal per day and alarms on the windows and doors kept them from escaping. The scheme was uncovered when Canadian police were tipped off by a contractor who was approached by one of the victims.