West Windsor Woman Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charge for Holding Young Filipino Nanny in Involuntary Servitude

August 23, 2007 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced that a West Windsor woman pleaded guilty today to forcing a young Filipino woman who came to the U.S. as a nanny to instead care for her ailing husband and do her housekeeping for two years.

The young woman’s passport and visa were taken away, and she was told not to leave the house without family members because she would be arrested. She was paid only a small fraction of what she was supposed to receive for coming to work in the U.S.

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According to Paw, Angelita Reyes, 68, of Blanket Flower Lane, West Windsor, pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree criminal restraint before Superior Court Judge Maria Marinari Sypek in Mercer County. Under the plea agreement, the state will not oppose a sentence of probation for Reyes. However, as a condition of probation, she will be required to pay approximately $78,000 to the victim, Arlene Gado, 23, representing the difference between what Gado was actually paid and what she should have received under her employment contract.

“For two full years, the defendant controlled and exploited this victim, taking advantage of her youth and immigrant status,” said Attorney General Milgram, who formerly served as lead prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice in the area of human trafficking. “Human trafficking takes many forms, but the common thread is exploitation of the vulnerable, particularly women and children. We urge anyone with information about human trafficking to alert us.”

In 2005, Gado signed an employment contract in the Philippines, witnessed by her parents, that provided that she would travel to the U.S. to work in the home of Anthony Mandap, a vice consul in the Consulate General of the Philippines in San Francisco. The contract provided that her duties would focus on the care of Mandap’s three children and she would receive $8 per hour for a 40-hour work week, with overtime paid at a rate of time-and-one-half.

An investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice determined that after Gado arrived in California, she was told she was needed in the home of Mandap’s in-laws, Angelita and Norberto Reyes. Mandap’s wife, Maryann, and another daughter of the Reyeses flew with Gado to New Jersey. They allegedly took Gado’s passport and visa, claiming they would be given to Mandap for renewal of the visa.

For two years beginning May 1, 2005, Gado worked in the home of the defendant, Angelita Reyes, providing continuous care to Reyes’ incapacitated husband, Norberto, including feeding and bathing him. Gado was required to clean the house and cook all meals. She also was called upon to provide massages, manicures and pedicures to relatives and friends of the Reyeses.

Until July 2006, Gado was paid just $250 per month for her services. In July 2006, her pay was increased to $325 per month because she was required to take on the additional responsibility of caring for the Reyeses’ infant granddaughter.

When Gado asked to go anywhere outside the home, she was told she could not leave unless accompanied by members of the Mandap or Reyes families because she lacked documentation and would be arrested.

Gado was able to communicate by cell phone with a female cousin in Michigan. The cousin contacted the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development in March 2007 because she was concerned about Gado’s low earnings. The Department of Labor referred the matter to the Division of Criminal Justice.

After a preliminary investigation by State Investigator Kerrie Murin, the Division of Criminal Justice arranged for Gado to be rescued from the Reyes household on May 2, 2007 and placed in a shelter by an authorized social support agency.

Supervising Deputy Attorney General Jennifer L. Gottschalk prosecuted the case for the Attorney General. Murin investigated with assistance from State Investigator Abe Aquino.

Reyes is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 12.

Attorney General Milgram noted that anyone with information about suspected human trafficking, forced labor or related crimes can call the Division of Criminal Justice at 1-866-TIPS-4CJ. Additionally, the public can log on to the Division of Criminal Justice Web page at www.njdcj.org to report suspected wrongdoing. All information received through the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Tipline or Web page will remain confidential.

Source: New Jersey Attorney General