CNN —The owner of two Boston-area pizza shops has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for subjecting employees to years of violence and intimidation, according to prosecutors.
In June, he was convicted on three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor.
Authorities discovered that Papantoniadis operated his pizza shops with a skeletal staff, forced workers to perform grueling shifts of 14 hours or more, often seven days a week.
Papantoniadis violently choked a worker who expressed his intention to quit, causing the victim to flee in fear, investigators found.
“Today’s significant sentence sends a message to employers — employees deserve to work in safety, free from harassment and abuse.”
Persons:
Stavros Papantoniadis, Papantoniadis, ”, Joshua Levy, ” Papantoniadis, Levy, Papantoniadis “, ” Michael J, “
Organizations:
CNN, US, Office, District of Massachusetts, Labor, Authorities, Homeland Security Investigations
Locations:
Boston, Norwood , Massachusetts