I'm about to go off on one of my "we South Dakotans think we are so much better than everyone rants."
You are hereby warned.
Apparently screwing regular, hard-working South Dakotans isn't enough for some in our business "community." We've grown so used to low pay, poor working conditions, and no unions that it seems only natural that business owners would wonder, "Gee, could I pay people even less and essentially enslave them?"
The answer, for a while here in South Dakota, was "yes."
Check out this press release from the U.S. Department of Justice about that little family operation down Chamberlain way and their unique way of doing business. Even underpaid South Dakotans making beds for this bunch wasn't enough (Hat tip to South Dakota 123 for finding this):
Robert John Farrell and his wife, Angelita Magat Farrell, owners of a Comfort Inn & Suites hotel in Oacoma, S.D., were sentenced on Friday, Feb. 22, in federal court in Pierre, S.D., for peonage, document servitude, visa fraud, making false statements and conspiracy, the Justice Department announced. Robert John Farrell was sentenced to 50 months of imprisonment. Angelita Magat Farrellwas sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment. Each defendant also wasordered to pay a $15,000 fine and will be placed on three years ofsupervised release following their respective prison terms. Peonage isa condition of involuntary servitude imposed to extract repayment of anindebtedness.
In November 2007, a federal jury convicted the Farrells afterhearing from four victims who had been held in involuntary servitude bythe Farrells. After committing visa fraud to bring Philippine workersinto the United States,the Farrells then enslaved the workers to perform cleaning and frontdesk duties at their hotel. During the trial, the victims described howthe Farrells controlled every aspect of the victims lives, includingwhat they ate, where they lived, and the hours they worked.
The victims described regularly working 16- to 18-hour days. When they finished their duties at the defendants hotel, the victims were then expected to work a second job at local fast food restaurants. One victim testified that she tried to join a Christmas choir,but the defendants told her that her first duty was to pay them backand that she could not spare two hours a week for choir practice. TheFarrells hid their activities by issuing the victims paychecks, whichthe Farrells then required the victims to endorse and return to theFarrells. The victims testified that they had hoped to send money backto their children and families in the Philippines...
Fortunately, U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley--yes, I'll admit, appointed by my favorite crony capitalist Republican, President George W. Bush--felt that this type of exploitation needed to end.
At least one Republican in South Dakota understands human dignity and where to draw capitalism's bright line here in the land of "family values." Fortunately, these despicable "business practices" now have less of a chance of catching on in our state where workers are essentially treated as meat.
Photo: "Meat" South Dakota's workers.