Senate panel OKs tougher slavery law

Kirsten Searer

Friday, April 29, 2005 | 9:37 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The attorney general's office argued Thursday that modern-day slavery is on the rise in the United States, and Nevada officials need to crack down.

Immigrants from around the world end up in involuntary servitude when they come to the United States, said Gerald Gardner, chief deputy attorney general.

"We know that modern day slavery still exists in this country, and there's little doubt that it's happening in Nevada," Gardner said.

The federal government estimates that between 14,500 and 17,500 people are put into slavery each year in the United States, Gardner said. Often, captors take immigration papers or threaten families back home, Gardner said.

They are, he said, "victims that are literally sold into slavery for purposes of forced labor in sweat shops, migrant-work forces, prostitution and domestic servitude."

The Assembly Judiciary unanimously passed Senate Bill 456 on Thursday. It passed unanimously out of the Senate earlier this month.

The state already has a law on the books that bans involuntary servitude, but the new bill would enhance penalties for involuntary servitude if the victim is physically abused, had his or her passport or other immigration papers destroyed or concealed, or had money extorted.

People convicted of involuntary servitude could receive at least seven years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000 if their victim endures substantial bodily harm.

Those convicted could receive at least five years in prison and a fine of not more than $50,000 if the victim is not harmed.

Also, if the person is found to have benefited financially from the involuntary servitude, he or she could receive another sentence of between one year and 15 years in prison, with a fine of not more than $50,000.

The FBI has investigated at least six cases in Clark County of involuntary servitude, when Asian men and women were brought to the state and forced into prostitution, Gardner said.

Assemblywoman Sharron Angle, R-Reno, asked if the bill would fit in with federal laws that already outlaw the practice.

Gardner said the federal government sometimes defers to local law enforcement on issues such as prostitution, so the state should have its own law in place.