National Roundup

New Jersey
Human trafficking lawsuit spreads to Hindu temples in 5 U.S. states
A lawsuit in which workers accuse a Hindu organization of human trafficking by luring them from India to build a temple in New Jersey for as little as $1.20 a day has widened to four other states.

In the initial lawsuit filed in May, workers at a Hindu temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, claimed leaders of the Hindu organization known as Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, coerced them into signing employment agreements and forced them to work more than 12 hours per day with few days off, under the watch of security guards. They traveled to New Jersey under R-1 visas, which are meant for “those who minister, or work in religious vocations or occupations,” according to the lawsuit.

The amended lawsuit filed last month added several more workers to the lawsuit. The workers, who the lawsuit says were from marginalized communities in India, claim they were exploited at temples in Chino Hills, California, outside Los Angeles; Bartlett, Illinois, outside Chicago; Stafford, Texas, outside Houston; and Lilburn, Georgia, outside Atlanta.

“U.S. Government officials have authorized the use of R-1 visas for stone artisans for 20 years, and federal, state, and local government agencies have regularly visited and inspected all of the construction projects on which those artisans volunteered,” Paul Fishman, an attorney representing BAPS, said in an email Wednesday.

The workers in other states allege that, while they weren't forced to work as many hours as their counterparts in New Jersey, they were paid well below standards set by federal and state minimum wage laws. Multiple workers named as plaintiffs worked at more than one of the temples, the lawsuit alleges, some for as long as eight or nine years in total.

Similar to the allegations in the initial suit against the Hindu temple in Robbinsville, outside the New Jersey capital of Trenton, workers at the temples in the other four states claim they weren't allowed to have their passports and slept in large halls on the temple grounds that were monitored by security guards.

“At the Robbinsville temple and elsewhere, the defendants intentionally caused the workers to reasonably believe that if they tried to leave their work and the temple compounds, they would suffer physical restraint and serious harm,” the lawsuit claims.

The temples named in the lawsuit are all affiliated with BAPS, a corporation registered in Delaware and with offices in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Georgia
Prosecutor testifies DA offered inappropriate extra money
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — A prosecutor told jurors Tuesday that Georgia District Attorney Mark Jones offered her inappropriate extra money on two occasions, as Jones' trial began in Columbus.

Jones was indicted in September on charges he tried to influence a police officer's testimony, offered bribes to prosecutors in his office and tried to influence the testimony of a crime victim.

Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Jones from office after a panel ruled the indictment impaired Jones' ability to perform his duty. Jones took office in January overseeing a circuit including Muscogee, Harris, Chattahoochee, Marion, Talbot and Taylor counties in west Georgia. He would be removed if convicted.

Charges against Jones for damaging government property in a May 2020 campaign video were already dismissed. The video included stunt driving moves, including cars driving in doughnuts with smoking tires in the parking lot of the Columbus Civic Center.

Jones is charged in another unrelated case with DUI, reckless driving and causing injury following a November 2019 crash in which police said Jones was driving drunk. That case is pending.

Local news outlets report prosecutor John Fowler on Tuesday urged jurors to convict Jones in opening arguments.

 “I'm going to ask you to hold someone with great power responsible for what he did,” Fowler told jurors.

But defense attorney Katonga Wright urged jurors not to rush to judgment, saying Jones had angered people but committed no crime.

“Don't make a decision until you have all the facts,” she said.

Wright took over as Jones' lawyer after Superior Court Judge Katherine Lumsden disqualified a previous lawyer who was a witness to some of Jones' acts. Lumsden on Tuesday denied Wright's motion to postpone the trial for more time to prepare, and instructed her to whittle down a proposed list of up to 200 defense witnesses.

Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Schwartz told jurors that Jones in March asked her if she could be ready to try a murder case within a week of being rehired. Schwartz then said Jones told her he would pay her $1,000 out of his pocket if she could be ready.

“I was shocked by this suggestion, which I thought was a total violation of our oath,” Schwartz said.

In a separate incident in June, Schwartz testified she was meeting with a victim's family in a murder case when Jones joined the gathering. As he was leaving, Schwartz said Jones turned to her and said, “I'll pay you $1,000 if you get a conviction in this case.” Schwartz said she was “mortified,” adding she explained to relatives that she isn't paid extra for convictions. Under Wright's cross examination, Schwartz acknowledged Jones never paid her any extra money.

Next, Chris Bailey testified about a conversation with Jones that he recorded. Bailey said he wasn't pleased after a man charged with involuntary man­slaughter in his uncle's death was released from jail after posting bail. On the tape, Jones urges Bailey to drop a filing complaining that Jones' office violated the state victims rights act. Jones suggests his office could seek a new warrant raising the charge to murder and holding the suspect without bail.

“His comments and everything he said felt like a disingenuous lie,” Bailey testified. He said he dropped the complaint, fearing Jones would sabotage the case if he didn't.