San Jose couple lured immigrants, forced them to live in “squalid” garage, work for little pay, feds allege

Carolyn Hileman - The Voice* | June 20, 2008

Immigrants lured to California with promises of work by a San Jose couple found themselves forced into squalid living conditions and working long hours in local restaurants for little or no pay, federal prosecutors allege.
Paula Luna Alvarez and Carlos Contreras Del Carmen face counts of harboring illegal immigrants, Social Security fraud and international money laundering.

The charges are just the “tip of the iceberg,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Connell said during the couple’s bail hearing Thursday. The couple, he told U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Seeborg, were “directly involved with human trafficking.

One of their alleged victims said he and others were forced to work 14-hour days with little pay and made to sleep in the couple’s garage, according to La Opinion, a Spanish-language newspaper.

Family and friends in court and at the couple’s home near the Rose Garden neighborhood declined to comment on the case. However, defense attorney Alfredo Morales used the presence of about 20 supporters at the hearing to paint a picture of an entrepreneurial couple with deep roots in the community.

As he requested that Del Carmen’s bail be lowered, Morales told the judge, “He has every reason to stay in this county.”

FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler said the investigation is ongoing, and some court documents are sealed.

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