8.5 years in prison for the pizzeria who threatened workers

BOSTON (AP) — The owner of two Boston-area pizza shops has been convicted of forced labor and sentenced to more than eight years in prison for using physical violence and threats of retaliation or deportation against employees living in the country illegally.

Stavros Papatoniadis, 49, of Westwood, owner of the Massachusetts pizza chain Stash’s Pizza, was sentenced Friday in federal court to 102 months in prison, one year of probation and a $35,000 fine.

Papatoniadis forced or attempted to force six victims, five men and one woman, to work for him and comply with excessive workplace demands through violent physical abuse; threats of violence and serious harm; According to prosecutors, there were constant threats to the victims to report them to immigration authorities for deportation.

In June, a jury found Papatoniadis guilty of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. Papatoniadis has been detained since his arrest in March 2023.

Papatoniadis’ lawyer said he filed for a new trial and appeal.

“While the judge saw fit to sentence him slightly below the guidelines, we are disappointed in the length of the sentence,” Carmine Lepore said in an email. “The sentencing guidelines applied to this case are more appropriate for human traffickers and sexual service defendants.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said Papantoniadis was driven to plunder his workers out of greed.

“Labor trafficking exploits vulnerable people through fear and intimidation in pursuit of great liability. This is what Stavros Papatoniadis did when he violated the rights of people working in his restaurants,” Levy said.

“He knowingly recruited foreign nationals who were not authorized to work in the United States and then turned their lack of immigration status against them, threatening them with deportation and violence to keep them under his control,” she added.

Investigators said Papatoniadis understaffed the pizza shops and deliberately hired workers without immigration status to work behind the scenes for 14 or more hours a day and up to seven days a week.

To control undocumented workers, he made them believe that he would physically harm them or have them deported, and watched them with security cameras. When Papatoniadis learned that one of the victims was planning to quit his job, he strangled her, causing the victim to flee the pizza shop.

When another worker attempted to leave one of Papatoniadis’ pizza shops and drive away, Papatoniadis followed the victim on Route 1 in Norwood, Massachusetts, and falsely reported the victim to the local police to pressure him to return to his job at the pizza shop. Prosecutors said.