BARTOW COUNTY, Ga. — Two men, including a factory owner, who are accused of trafficking hundreds of people to the U.S. to work in a manufacturing plant will stay behind bars for now.
A Bartow County magistrate court judge denied bond for Zhu Chen, the owner of Wellmade Industries, and Jiayi Chen on Friday.
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Earlier this week, federal agents raided Wellmade in Cartersville, where they think Zhu Chen, who goes by George, brought 300 to 400 people from other countries, like China, to work at his flooring factory.
They are investigating to see whether or not he provided harsh living and working conditions and low pay.
Channel 2′s Courtney Francisco learned that Jiayi Chen is accused of transporting and harboring three people to work at the factory.
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Attorneys told the judge that both men have family in the Portland, Oregon area where the company is headquartered. They added that both men are U.S. citizens and have never been charged with a crime before.
The judge, however, deemed them flight risks and denied their request for bond.
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