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An Oregon mother and daughter are facing a seven-count indictment for conspiring to coerce three people to work for no or little compensation at an adult foster care home in Tigard, Washington state.
Charged with Conspiring to Commit, Engage, and Benefit from Forced Labor
Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont (66) and her daughter Yolandita Marie Andre (30) were arraigned in a federal court on Friday on charges of conspiring to commit forced labor, engaging in forced labor, and benefiting from forced labor.
According to court documents, the pair coerced two adults and a minor for Haiti to travel to the U.S. under the guise of legitimate employment at Velida’s Care Home in Tigard, which they own and operate. When the trio arrived in September 2023, they were forced to work under oppressive conditions, subjected to psychological and physical abuse, with no or little pay.
Trio Were Forbidden to Leave the Premises
The indictment alleges that the mother and daughter forbade the trio from leaving the premises of the care home and confiscated their immigration documents.
Valmont is indicted for threatening to send the victims back to Haiti, where she said they would be killed, threatening to report them to the authorities under false allegations of theft and of violence that included throwing objects at them.
The plight of the three Haitians was discovered in the summer of 2023 when the minor told a pediatrician about their indentured servitude. The Oregon Department of Justice placed the minor in foster care, and on Thursday, Valmont and Andre were taken into custody by the FBI without resisting.
Mother and daughter have pleaded not guilty and have been released, pending further investigations by the FBI, supported by the Tigard Police Department.
The Pair Could Face 20 Years in a Federal Prison
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen-Rodriguez is prosecuting and if found guilty, the pair could face 20 years in prison.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the NHTRC at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
Submit information to the NCMEC’s CyberTipline at:
https://report.cybertip.org/ or call 1-800-THE-LOST.
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