Pizza Shop Owner Sentenced for Forced Labour in Massachusetts

Stavros Papantoniadis, owner of Stash's Pizza, has been sentenced to over eight years for using violence and threats against undocumented workers in his Boston-area pizza shops. Convicted of forced labour, Papantoniadis was charged with exploiting employees through intimidation and deportation threats. He plans to appeal the decision.

Stavros Papantoniadis, the owner of a Massachusetts-based pizza chain, has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for engaging in forced labour practices. The federal court in Boston handed down a 102-month prison term and a USD 35,000 fine to Papantoniadis, who was also given a year of supervised release.

Prosecutors charged Papantoniadis with forcing six undocumented workers, including five men and one woman, to endure violent conditions and adhere to excessive demands at his pizza establishments. The charges included three counts each of forced labour and attempted forced labour, leading to his arrest in March 2023 and subsequent conviction in June.

Papantoniadis exploited employees' undocumented status to threaten them with deportation, using fear as a control mechanism. Lawyer Carmine Lepore indicated intentions to appeal, criticizing the prison term as excessive. Prosecutors underscored Papantoniadis's actions as labour trafficking driven by greed.

(With inputs from agencies.)