❓WHAT HAPPENED: Two Haitian immigrants were indicted in Oregon for fraud, forcing their relatives into near-slave labor conditions, and patient neglect at their adult home daycare center.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, 67, and her daughter, Yolandita Marie Andre, 31, along with three Haitian migrants who were their relatives.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Indictments were handed down in Tigard, Oregon. The daycare was licensed in December 2022, with violations cited in September 2023.
🎯IMPACT: The accused face up to 20 years in federal prison for each human trafficking count, with additional charges for fraud and neglect.
Two Haitian immigrants, Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont and her daughter Yolandita Marie Andre, have been indicted in Tigard, Oregon, on charges of forcing their immigrant relatives to work in near-slave conditions at their adult home daycare center. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) stated that the two women brought three Haitian immigrants—one of whom was a teenager and all of whom were family members—into the U.S. to staff their business.
Prosecutors allege the victims were forced to work 17-hour days for $2 a day and were required to sleep on Valmont’s living room floor. Additionally, the defendants allegedly threatened deportation and confiscated the victims’ legal documents and identification cards. The charges include forced labor, fraud, and patient neglect.
Federal prosecutors further accuse the pair of defrauding the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and Medicaid by falsely claiming they needed to pay additional employees for the care of foster residents with exceptional needs. Instead of properly compensating the three victims, the defendants allegedly kept the funds for themselves while paying the workers little or nothing.
State records indicate that the adult daycare operation, licensed in December 2022, was cited for violations in September 2023. At least one patient, who had dementia, suffered neglect, including a fall that resulted in a broken hip, bed sores, and mistreatment. Another patient required hospital care due to the conditions. Officials cited the business for being understaffed and failing to provide adequate care.
Valmont and Andre will face trial on May 11. If convicted, they could individually face 20 years in prison on each of the human trafficking charges.
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