7th person charged in teen forced labor case at egg farm

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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a seventh person has been charged with participating in a scheme to smuggle teenagers into the U.S. and force them to work at an Ohio egg farm.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that border patrol agents arrested Pablo Duran Ramirez on Saturday as he tried to cross the border between Mexico and the United States.

Three others already have been convicted in the investigation that included the 2014 rescue of 10 young Guatemalans brought to work at the egg farm.

Prosecutors say the teens were kept as virtual slave laborers.

An indictment says Duran Ramirez provided labor for the farm. He’s charged with forced labor and conspiracy and scheduled to be in federal court in McAllen, Texas on Friday.

His attorney declined to comment Thursday.

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