PASO ROBLES, CA—The Federal Bureau of Investigation raided four nursing homes and arrested a filipino couple yesterday for human trafficking. Maximino and Melinda Morales are accused of allegedly smuggling at least three Filipinos and forcing them to work in substandard conditions.  Investigators say the couple smuggled them through transit visas.

The Morales’ are accused of forcing Filipino nationals to work seven days a week with little or no pay. Prosecutors say the Morales’ took away the workers’ passports and threatened to hurt their families or deport them if they left.  The Morales couple are in Los Angeles now for their first appearance in court .

If convicted Maximino and Melinda Morales could go to jail for a maximum of ten years for each undocumented immigrant smuggled.

Read the full article here http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/couple_enslaves_filipino_workers_at_california_nursing_homes