A New Jersey resident, Bolaji Bolarinwa, has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for engaging in forced labor and other related federal offenses. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams at the Camden federal court following Bolarinwa's conviction on charges including two counts of forced labor, alien harboring for financial gain, and document servitude.
Bolarinwa's crimes involved coercing two victims into performing domestic tasks and childcare through a series of abusive tactics. From December 2015 to October 2016, she recruited these individuals from Nigeria under false pretenses and subjected them to threats, isolation, and psychological abuse upon their arrival in the United States.
The first victim arrived in December 2015, had her passport confiscated, and was coerced into working around-the-clock through threats against herself and her daughter. A second victim arrived in April 2016 on a student visa and faced similar treatment with an emphasis on physical abuse.
The situation came to light when the second victim informed a college professor who subsequently contacted the FBI. In addition to imprisonment, Bolarinwa will face three years of supervised release, pay a $35,000 fine, and provide restitution totaling $87,518.72 to her victims.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that "the defendant exploited her relationship with the victims" using deceitful promises before subjecting them to harsh conditions for minimal compensation. Dhillon emphasized that this prosecution should serve as a deterrent against forced labor practices.
U.S. Attorney Alina Habba commented that "today’s sentence vindicates the rights of two vulnerable women" while reaffirming the Department of Justice's commitment to combating human trafficking.
Acting Special Agent Terence G. Reilly noted that "human nature is generally good," but acknowledged cases where individuals display extreme cruelty like Bolarinwa did by luring women with false promises only to exploit them further.
This case forms part of efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Task Force established in 2025 aimed at addressing human trafficking collaboratively among various agencies including FBI Newark Field Office led by Special Agent Terence G. Reilly.
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender along with Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson from the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.