The owner of a Massachusetts pizzeria chain has been sentenced to over eight years in prison for forcing employees to work under threat of violence and deportation.
Stavros Papantoniadis, 49, was convicted in June 2024 on three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. He was sentenced on October 25th to 102 months in prison and ordered to pay a $35,000 fine.
Papantoniadis, who owned and operated Stash’s Pizza with locations in Dorchester and Roslindale, preyed on vulnerable undocumented workers. He subjected them to violent physical abuse, threats of harm, and threats of deportation if they did not comply with his excessive workplace demands.
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Employees were forced to work long hours, often seven days a week, in understaffed conditions. Papantoniadis used surveillance cameras to monitor them and constantly subjected them to verbal abuse and intimidation.
“Labor trafficking exploits the vulnerable through fear and intimidation, all in pursuit of the almighty buck. That is what Stavros Papantoniadis did when he violated the rights of the people working in his restaurants. He deliberately hired foreign nationals who lacked authorization to work in the United States and then turned their lack of immigration status against them, threatening them with deportation and violence to keep them under his control,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “I commend the bravery of the victims here for speaking out and taking a stand against their trafficker. I hope that their strength to speak out sends a message to others whose rights are being abused that the federal government will not tolerate labor trafficking. The stiff sentence imposed on Mr. Papantoniadis demonstrates that there are grave consequences for employers who engage in this type of conduct.”
“Stavros Papantoniadis exploited and abused his employees, denying them the basic dignity every person deserves. Today’s significant sentence sends a message to employers — employees deserve to work in safety, free from harassment and abuse and exploitative employers will be held to account,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations, New England. “Labor exploitation targets the disenfranchised in our society but we want employees to know that they have a voice and HSI is working with our partners to uphold and enforce labor laws.”
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“Stavros Papantoniadis used threats of arrest, deportation, reprisals, and physical violence to ensure his employees worked for wages lower than required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Today’s sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with our law enforcement and Wage and Hour Division partners to aggressively investigate labor trafficking by individuals who enrich themselves through coercion or force,” said Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.
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