(WNY News Now) – A Dunkirk man faces life in prison after pleading guilty to illegally trafficking Guatemalan migrants, forcing them to work for him, and kidnapping and raping a minor.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Augusto Mateo Francisco, 33, of Dunkirk, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to two counts of forced labor, and one count of transportation of a minor. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, who is handling the case, stated that Francisco, a native of Guatemala and a Legal Permanent Resident, facilitated the illegal entry of Guatemalan migrants into the United States and helped transport them to the Dunkirk area, where he would provide them with housing and work at area farms. Francisco would charge the migrants for their housing, rides to work, and for other items. He would also take a cut of the wages they earned working at the farms. Francisco threatened two individuals (Victim 1 and Victim 2), telling them that if they stopped working for him or if they did not pay back the money they purportedly owed to him, he would harm their families or would call immigration authorities and have them deported.
In March 2019, Francisco pursued a sexual relationship with Minor Victim 1, a 16- year-old Guatemalan migrant who had come to the U.S. with her mother. Francisco repeatedly raped Minor Victim 1, threatening to harm her family, who were still in Guatemala, if she told anyone about what had happened. In May 2020, Francisco abducted Minor Victim 1 and took her to a trailer in Ripley, NY, where she was held for nearly two
weeks, until being rescued by police. Following her rescue, Minor Victim 1 and her mother fled to Georgia to escape Francisco. However, he followed them and kidnapped Minor Victim 1, bringing her back to the Western District of New York, where he unlawfully held her for several more days, until she was again rescued by police.
The plea is the result of by Homeland Security investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan and the Chautauqua County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone.
Sentencing is scheduled for May 30, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.
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