Stavros Papantoniadis, owner of Stash’s Pizza in Westwood, has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison for mistreating his employees, all undocumented immigrants. Prosecutors said he forced them to work long hours without pay and threatened to report them to authorities if they refused.
In addition to prison time, Papantoniadis faces three years of supervised release and must pay a $35,000 fine. The sentencing documents revealed that he designed his business to compel workers to labor against their will. He used physical force, threats of violence, and deportation threats to control his employees.
In June, a jury found Papantoniadis guilty of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. He was acquitted of one other charge. His indictment listed seven undocumented immigrant victims who worked at his establishments.
The sentencing document highlighted that Papantoniadis’s criminal actions led to the success of his businesses. Meanwhile, his victims lived in constant fear, working under duress and worrying about the consequences of his actions.
Methods of Abuse
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Papantoniadis intentionally hired undocumented workers to exploit them without fear of legal repercussions. Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Joshua Levy, described how Papantoniadis violated both the law and the safety of his employees. He monitored them with security cameras and required them to work more than 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
When one worker threatened to quit, Papantoniadis reportedly choked him and forced him to flee. Similar intimidation tactics were used against other employees who attempted to leave.
Levy stated that Papantoniadis threatened one victim by saying he would kill him and contact immigration authorities. He also intimidated another worker by claiming he knew where the victim lived. In a separate incident, when a worker tried to leave, Papantoniadis chased him down Route 1 in Norwood and falsely reported him to the police to pressure him to return to work.
Papantoniadis’s legal representation told The Boston Globe that he did not traffic the victims, claiming they sought employment with him willingly. They noted that Papantoniadis has employed hundreds, if not thousands, of workers over 32 years, and suggested that the seven individuals who testified against him were unrepresentative of his overall employment practices.
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