HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and the Pennsylvania State Police announced charges against a Chester County man accused of forcing two juvenile female immigrants to work under harsh conditions at a mushroom farm.
Ramiro Caal Jolomna faces felony counts of trafficking in individuals, involuntary servitude, and related offenses. He was arraigned and bail was set at $1 million. Authorities allege Jolomna exploited the girls, ages 14 and 17, by threatening deportation and punishment if they attempted to leave.
According to investigators, Jolomna charged the victims “debts” for bringing them into the United States, kept them out of school, and required them to work long days and seven-day weeks with little or no pay. The younger victim, brought from Mexico, was allegedly forced to sign over her paychecks and perform household chores for Jolomna and his wife. The older victim, from Guatemala, told investigators she was left with little money after Jolomna took most of her wages, which she had hoped to send home to her sick father.
“This is a disturbing set of facts involving a man preying on vulnerable girls who wanted to make an honest living and help their families back home,” Attorney General Sunday said in a statement. “Labor trafficking, while not as often in the headlines, is cruel and dehumanizing behavior that forces victims into a routine of helplessness and silence.”
Major Serell Ulrich, Director of the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, emphasized the cooperative effort, saying the arrest demonstrates a commitment to protecting victims and dismantling trafficking networks.
The case will be prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Zachary Wynkoop from the Human Trafficking Section. Authorities noted that criminal charges are allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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