The owner of Stash’s Pizza, a Massachusetts pizzeria chain, was sentenced on Oct. 25 to more than eight years in prison on forced labor charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts announced today.
Stavros Papantoniadis, also known as “Steve Papantoniadis,” 49, of Westwood, used violent threats, physical abuse, and threats of deportation to control six undocumented employees, compelling them to work under extreme conditions, officials said.
Papantoniadis, who also received one year of supervised release and a $35,000 fine, systematically targeted vulnerable workers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office explained.
He employed five men and one woman without immigration status, relying on their fear of deportation to coerce long hours — often 14 hours a day, up to seven days a week.
Papantoniadis is accused of verbally harassing and physically abusing the employees to prevent them from quitting, sometimes monitoring them via surveillance cameras on his cell phone, authorities noted.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that when a worker attempted to quit, Papantoniadis allegedly choked him, forcing the victim to flee.