The owner of two Boston-area pizza shops has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for subjecting employees to years of violence and intimidation. Stavros Papantoniadis was sentenced in federal court to 102 months in prison, along with one year of supervised release and a $35,000 fine.
Papantoniadis coerced or attempted to force six victims — five men and one woman — into working under harsh conditions at his Stash’s Pizza locations, employing violent tactics and threats of deportation to ensure compliance with demands. In June, he was convicted on three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor.
Labor trafficking exploits the vulnerable through fear and intimidation, as Acting US Attorney Joshua Levy stated. Papantoniadis intentionally employed undocumented workers for back-end roles and manipulated their immigration status.
Authorities discovered that Papantoniadis operated his pizza shops with a skeletal staff, forcing workers to endure grueling shifts of 14 hours or more, often seven days a week. He closely monitored them with surveillance cameras.
Investigations revealed that Papantoniadis resorted to violence when employees expressed their intention to quit. He violently choked a worker, causing the victim to flee in fear. Another employee was chased down and falsely reported to the police in an attempt to intimidate him into returning to work.
Michael J. Krol, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, condemned Papantoniadis' actions, stating that employees deserve to work in safety, free from harassment and abuse. Today's significant sentence sends a message to employers about the importance of providing a safe and respectful work environment for all employees.
