It’s straight out of a slavery-era playbook, but this article itself is straight from 2019. A man named Bobby Paul Edwards is behind bars tonight after a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison for violating federal forced labour laws (that little part of the law that bans human trafficking and slavery.)
Edwards per court records has been ordered to pay $272,952.96 to the unidentified victim. Forensic specialists placed the man’s mental age at about 7 to 9 years old having first begun his slave labour at the J&J Cafeteria in Conway South Carolina when he was 12. In 2008, Edwards first took over the restaurant and then quickly forced the man to increase his hours at the cafeteria. Records show that Edwards knowingly forced the man to work from 6am to 11pm at one point usually having amassed roughly 104 hours a week.
But there was no pay. Prosecutors allege that Edwards deceived the man about allegedly having set up a bank account for him to assist with his finances. Instead, prosecutors say that Edwards coerced the man into the forced labour by way of violent threats and making fun of him.
At times records show that the man was physically assaulted with hot pans (after moving too slow with fried chicken); struck with belts, and even kitchen plates at the hands of Edwards inside of the cafeteria. The abuse didn’t reportedly come to an end until 2014 when the mother-in-law of a waitress discovered the abuse and reported it to authorities.
Edwards was first arrested in 2017 and officially charged last week.
“For stealing his victim’s freedom and wages, Mr. Edwards has earned every day of his sentence,” US Attorney Sherri A. Lydon said in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not tolerate forced or exploitative labor in South Carolina, and we are grateful to the watchful citizen and our partners in law enforcement who put a stop to this particularly cruel violence.”
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