BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — After a labor trafficking bust at Wellmade Industries, former employees are suing the company, claiming they were exploited, underpaid, and required to do forced labor.
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The claims are spelled out in a 59-page lawsuit, where at least three employees lay out how they were allegedly told to lie on their visas, had their passports confiscated, and lived in deplorable conditions.
The civil lawsuit comes after an operation conducted by members of HSI, FBI, GBI, and other law enforcement personnel, who say they found dozens of Chinese nationals working in allegedly deplorable conditions at a Georgia flooring factory.
“I think that a lot of the elements are not that uncommon,” Attorney Aaron Halegua said, speaking generally about cases like these.
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Channel 2 Action News spoke to Halegua more than a month ago because he specializes in this type of law.
He is now representing three former employees suing the company.
" We’ve seen enough anecdotes to say that it’s not uncommon, and it’s definitely happening a lot more frequently than any of us should be comfortable with," Halegua said.
The lawsuit claims that the operation went back to China, where prospective employees were lured with the promises of better jobs, living conditions and healthcare.
The allegations allege that the defendants fabricated elements on visa applications and told them to lie to obtain visas.
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However, when employees arrived, the lawsuit says company management confiscated their passports, and they were forced to live in packed homes, with mold on the inside.
The lawsuit alleges workers were forced to work 12-hour shifts 6 days a week without overtime pay and claims the owner, George Chen, forced them to do unpaid chores at his home.
Three men, owner George Chen, his nephew Morgan Chen, and Jiayan Jun Lu, were arrested and charged in relation to the raid.
We reached out to Wellmade and the three men who were criminally charged in this case. Wellmade did not respond.
George Chen’s attorney said they would not comment. Morgan Chen’s attorney says his client did nothing wrong.
Channel 2 Action News also called Lu’s attorney, but was notified the attorney was out of the office.
Channel 2 Action News emailed and called the office, but was unable to reach the attorney.
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