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Those sweeps yielded two arrests: Wellmade Industries' owner, Zhu Chen, and his nephew, Jiayi Chen. A third person connected to the company, Jian Jun Lu, was arrested on April 5. All three face felony charges of "trafficking of persons for labour or sexual servitude."
At bond hearings on April 7, assistant district attorney Austin Waldo said Wellmade Industries' workers had their travel documents confiscated once they arrived to the US, making it more difficult for them to leave, according to coverage from WBHF.
Employees were Chinese nationals who had been recruited through a temporary visa programme and promised high salaries. Instead, they were reportedly required to work 12-hour shifts, and they were not allowed to leave the factory or their residence.