Mankato woman admits to slave labor case

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — A Mankato woman has pleaded guilty to bringing a Vietnamese woman to the U.S. and forcing her to work at her son's restaurant.

The U.S. Department of Justice says 59-year-old Tieu Tran pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of forced labor trafficking.

Court documents say in 2008 Tran recruited a woman from Vietnam to travel to the U.S. using false promises of legal immigration status and a high-paying job.

But prosecutors say instead, Tran smuggled the woman and two other Vietnamese nationals across the U.S.-Mexico border and forced her to pay down the debt by working at Tran's son's restaurant in Mankato.

Tran admitted compelling the woman to work long hours without paying her as promised. Tran faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.