The owner of a pizzeria chain threatened undocumented workers with forced labor

A Massachusetts pizzeria owner was found guilty Friday of forced labor charges after prosecutors said he physically abused and threatened to report six undocumented workers to immigration authorities.

Stavros “Steve” Papantoniadis (48) is the owner of the Boston pizzeria chain Stash’s Pizza. He was convicted of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor, the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts announced.

Papantoniadis was first arrested last March after reports that he had been targeting undocumented workers for about 14 years, NBC affiliate WBTS reported at the time.

After Papantoniadis’ arrest, a man at one of Stash’s locations who identified himself as a co-owner told WTBS, “Everything is not true. This is all false and will be decided in court.”

Evidence presented in the trial revealed that Papantoniadis intentionally hired workers without legal immigration status and forced them to work 14-hour days as many as seven days a week, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

According to Boston.com, in 2017, the Department of Labor investigated Papantoniadis, and during the investigation, authorities found evidence that he “attempted to intimidate at least one witness.”

“Stavros Papantoniadis instilled fear in his employees. He underpaid them and threatened them, some fearing arrest and many fearing physical abuse,” Michael J. Krol, special agent in charge, said in a statement Friday.

Prosecutors said Papantoniadis would “maintain control” of some illegal workers by telling them he would physically harm them or have them deported. Others have experienced physical violence at work.

In one case cited by prosecutors, Papantoniadis “brutally choked” an employee when he learned he was going to leave the restaurant. Another employee who tried to leave and escape from the pizzeria was also chased by Papantoniadis, who filed a false police report to pressure him to return.

According to court documents cited by WBTS, one of the victims, who worked at Stash’s Pizza from 2001 to 2015, experienced multiple incidents of physical violence at the hands of Papantoniadis, who made derogatory comments about his Muslim religion.

According to WBTS, prosecutors said the employee was knocked to the floor and kicked in the genitals, and Papantoniadis threatened to kill him if he sought medical attention or did not return to work. This employee also had his teeth broken during the harassment, which resulted in him needing dentures.

Papantoniadis currently faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of forced labor and attempted forced labor and a fine of $250,000. His sentence is scheduled to be announced on September 12.

“Mr. Papantoniadis preyed on the desperation of people without immigration status, subjecting them to violence and threats of deportation,” U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. “Forced labor is a grave violation of human rights, and no one in the United States should have to live in fear of abuse and coercion in the workplace.”

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