A Twin Cities contractor has been charged with bringing undocumented workers to Minnesota and then threatening to report them to immigration officials if they complained about being underpaid and working in dangerous job conditions.
Ricardo E. Batres, 46, who operates Crystal-based American Contractors, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court with felony counts of labor trafficking, theft by swindle and insurance fraud.
Batres "knew the men that he had employed were undocumented workers and used that knowledge as leverage to force them to work long hours for less than market pay and without adequate safety protections," the charges read. "When workers were injured, [Batres] told his employees that they would lose their jobs and be deported if they sought medical attention."
Multiple workers were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last summer. Some were deported.
Fraud investigators also allege that Batres forced one employee to work for him "through a combination of threats of physical restraint" and other means. One worker suffered spinal fractures when a prefabricated wall fell on him, the charges read.
Because Batres failed to buy workers' compensation insurance, the employee's medical bills were paid with more than $45,000 from government programs rather than insurance.
Messages were left Wednesday with Batres seeking his response to the allegations.
The number of workers involved peaked at 12 in the summer of 2017, the charges read. Their work involved finishing wood framing and wallboard installation in Golden Valley, Bloomington, Maple Grove and elsewhere in the state.
