Two Micronesian nationals who lured relatives more than 7,000 miles to Iowa to work in a meatpacking plant, then claimed most of their earnings, will serve four years in federal prison and face potential deportation after pleading guilty to labor trafficking charges.
Nesly Mwarecheong, 46, and Bertino Weires, 51, were arrested in June 2021. Prosecutors said the couple arranged for three people, all of them younger relatives to some degree, to travel from the remote Chuuk Islands, part of the larger Federated States of Micronesia, to the U.S. for work. On their arrival, the couple took away the victims' passports, got them jobs at a JBS meatpacking plant in Ottumwa, and confiscated nearly all of their earnings.
In total, Weires and Mwarecheong, who were not working, took nearly $70,000 from the three victims over nearly a year, the prosecutors said.
Weires and Mwarecheong each pleaded guilty in October to two counts of unlawfully depriving the victims of their passports and other key documents. On Monday, U.S. District Chief Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced them to prison and ordered both to pay restitution.
The case was marked by extreme language and cultural barriers, which Rose acknowledged played a role in the offenses. As attorneys for both defendants noted, it is traditional in the Chuuk Islands to share possessions within the family and show extreme deference to family elders. Even after charges were brought, court officials struggled to find translators who not only spoke the Chuuk language but could explain legal and cultural concepts that have no analogue in that society.
Nesly Mwarecheong, 46, and Bertino Weires, 51, were arrested in June 2021. Prosecutors said the couple arranged for three people, all of them younger relatives to some degree, to travel from the remote Chuuk Islands, part of the larger Federated States of Micronesia, to the U.S. for work. On their arrival, the couple took away the victims' passports, got them jobs at a JBS meatpacking plant in Ottumwa, and confiscated nearly all of their earnings.
In total, Weires and Mwarecheong, who were not working, took nearly $70,000 from the three victims over nearly a year, the prosecutors said.
Weires and Mwarecheong each pleaded guilty in October to two counts of unlawfully depriving the victims of their passports and other key documents. On Monday, U.S. District Chief Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced them to prison and ordered both to pay restitution.
The case was marked by extreme language and cultural barriers, which Rose acknowledged played a role in the offenses. As attorneys for both defendants noted, it is traditional in the Chuuk Islands to share possessions within the family and show extreme deference to family elders. Even after charges were brought, court officials struggled to find translators who not only spoke the Chuuk language but could explain legal and cultural concepts that have no analogue in that society.
Micronesian couple sentenced in labor trafficking case involving relatives at Ottumwa plant
The couple arranged for relatives to travel to Iowa, then confiscated their passports and paychecks, prosecutors said
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