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NEWARK, N.J. – A man from the impoverished West African nation Togo has been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for his role in the smuggling of girls and women who were forced to work at New Jersey hair braiding salons.

At sentencing Monday in federal court in Newark, Lassissi Afolabi also was ordered to pay more than $3.9 million in restitution to the victims.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty last year to conspiring with his ex-wife and her son to commit forced labor.

His ex-wife is due to be sentenced in September. Her son has been sentenced to 55 months in prison.

Prosecutors say between October 2002 and September 2007 fraudulent visas were used to bring at least 20 girls and women from Togo. They say the victims worked for no pay.

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Tags: Africa, Black Hair, New Jersey, Newark, Slavery
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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/CaliFemme23/ CaliFemme23

    I used to get my hair braided by the nicest african lady a long time ago…The sister could whip some hair fa sho!

    Ummmm, they should have just paid the workers…simple…People can be such morons with these schemes….

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/odoggz/ odoggz

    See, when you smuggle Chinese in, they don’t snitch! Now, these African women will be forced to go back to Africa, and for what? What did they GAIN in this? I would have just run away, if I were them. What is he going to do, report them, and give himself up? All they had to do was move on and that alone would threaten him with what he has now. If he had some mob/gang ties, they would have been too scared to even snitch, in the first place, so obviously he had no real power, which means they could have just walked off and started new, somewhere else.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/hersey1/ hersey1

    wait wait wait… you mean to tell me this nigga smuggled sum poor impoverished ass women over here and to pay him back they didnt have to sell ass or f**k nothing… wasnt on dope or homeless but had to braid sum b***hes hair and this nigga got 24 years! and they worked for no pay s**t they didnt pay s**t to get here! gtfoh!! oh and $3.9mill in restitution!! how many f**king heads he had getting done! damn

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Johnny_Walker/ Johnny_Walker

    See, now THIS is a real instance of slavery. 24 years in jail and $4M in restitution seems like a pretty substantial sentence. I hope that these women weren’t physically harmed or otherwise (more) emotionally traumatized though..Can’t put a $-amount on your sanity..

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/CaliFemme23/ CaliFemme23

    odoggz, Imagine how those WOMEN must have felt, probably not english speaking, no family here, knowing they are here illegally, and not knowing what kind of lies the man told them if they happened to try and escape…

    Keep in mind, you can create a slave by physical restraint, you cultivate a slave with mental restraint…

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/MiSz_PiNk_DiamOnd/ MiSz_PiNk_DiamOnd

    Lol odoggz where the hell would they have escaped to?? Theyre in a strange country and dont know the language

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/MiSz_PiNk_DiamOnd/ MiSz_PiNk_DiamOnd

    What did they do with the tips?

  • http://en.laluvirtual.web.id/hairstyles/man-convicted-of-forcing-africans-to-braid-hair-in-new-jersey/ Man Convicted Of Forcing Africans To Braid Hair In New Jersey … – Hairstyles, Hair Care and All About Hair

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  • http://kiololo.com/?p=17412 Man Convicted Of Forcing Africans To Braid Hair In New Jersey …

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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/jazzpast/ jazzpast

    The question is, are they only smuggled for braiding?

  • http://www.flyfishingtip.net/912/guide-to-saltwater-fishing-knots-for-gear-fly-fishing-knots-for-super-braid-dacron-braid-and-monofilament-lines/ Guide To Saltwater Fishing Knots for Gear & Fly Fishing: Knots for Super Braid, Dacron, Braid and Monofilament Lines

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  • http://www.blackplanet.com/SugarSweetums/ SugarSweetums

    Where were they gonna run to? Most of the time they don’t speak to the customer. I talk to them though and my husband understands when they speak in their language. If you don’t know their plight, keep your thoughts to yourself!

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/MisterUnderstood425/ MisterUnderstood425

    While I’m not an advocate of the man or his slave tactics, but 24 years and 4 mil is quite a bit to pay back for 5 years. No one has gotten that or anything close to that from any previous slave owners in restitution and our ancestors were restrained physically and killed as well and there’s not been so much as a word of restitution.
    I’m not asking for it, but it’s just something to be aware of.
    If you really think about it… only white people are able to profit off of and get away with cruelty and slavery.

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/he_aight/ he_aight

    thats kinda wack… ok so he smuggled chiks over here, it was like he was prostituting them or turnin em out on drugs, did he even whip them? hot the hell he got all that time for that shyt then gotta pay all that money bac, doesnt sound that reasonable to me compared to what the wht men got for slavery enforcement….wait, what did they get again?

  • http://www.blackplanet.com/Simone1994/ Simone1994
  • http://interactiveone.ione.sta.oomphcloud.com/2010/08/24/cops-say-man-made-woman-his-slave-for-bail-money/ Cops Say Man Made Woman His Slave For Bail Money | InteractiveOne

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