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AP California

California couple pleads guilty to holding Guatemala family

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Published 3:51 PM

By DON THOMPSON
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California couple has admitted forcing a Guatemalan relative and her two daughters to work long hours under poor conditions. They kept the girls out of school with threats that they would be deported. Nery Martinez Vasquez and his wife, Maura Martinez, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit forced labor. Both are naturalized U.S. citizens originally from Guatemala who promised their relative a better life if she came to America in 2016. Instead, they forced family members to overstay their visas and work long hours for little to no pay at their restaurant and janitor service. 

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