3 accused of forced labor of Chinese nationals at Cartersville flooring company's factory

The owner of a Cartersville-based flooring manufacturer and two others are facing federal charges after officials say they recruited Chinese nationals to work in a factory under unsafe conditions. 

Wellmade Industries owner Zhu Chen; his nephew, 31-year-old Jiayi Chen; and 55-year-old Jianjun Lu, a Chinese national, are each indicted on charges of forced labor and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Zhu Chen is also charged with alien harboring.

According to prosecutors, the trio recruited Chinese nationals to enter the United States on B-1 and L-1 visas to work at the factory.

Once there, authorities say the defendants made the victims work 12-hour shifts, six days a week in unsafe conditions while paying them less than they promised. If the victims tried to stop working, the men threatened them with deportation and high amounts of debt, officials say.

"The defendants allegedly threatened foreign workers with physical violence, deportation, and crippling debt; forced them to work lengthy shifts; and housed them in overcrowded and dirty residences," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "My office will ensure that predators who traffic at-risk laborers and violate our immigration laws to enrich themselves are investigated, apprehended, and prosecuted."

The case remains under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Bartow County Sheriff's Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 

If convicted, the men could serve up to 20 years in prison.