A Boston pizza shop owner accused of physically and verbally assaulting undocumented employees was arraigned Tuesday on several new charges of forced labor, according to officials and court documents.
Stavros Papantoniadis, 48, of Westwood, entered a not-guilty plea during a remote federal hearing in Boston US District Court on four counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. Papantoniadis has remained in federal custody since his arrest on March 16, 2023. He was previously charged with one count of forced labor.
Papantoniadis, the owner of Stash’s Pizza in Dorchester and Roslindale who previously owned restaurants in several other communities, allegedly forced or attempted to force at least seven victims to work for him and comply with excessive workplace demands by means of violent physical abuse; threats of violence or serious harm; and repeated threats to report victims to immigration authorities to have them deported, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
In court documents, federal authorities alleged that seven immigrants were victimized over a period of 15 years starting around 2007.
It is alleged that Papantoniadis violently attacked one of the victims several times, including kicking him in the genitals, slapping and choking the victim and causing him to lose teeth, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. Also, prosecutors allege that when three other victims separately expressed intentions to quit, Papantoniadis allegedly threatened one victim by telling the victim that he knew where he lived; he attacked another victim, forcing him to run to safety in the parking lot; and filed a false police report on another victim who wanted to leave Papantoniadis’ operation.
Another victim named in the documents alleged that Papantoniadis attacked him and chased him out into the parking lot after revealing plans to quit his job. When a third victim attempted to quit, Papantoniadis allegedly made a fake police report, falsely stating that the victim had hit his car and left the scene of the accident after leaving Stash’s Pizza’s Norwood location. As a result, the victim was pulled over and cited by police.
According to court documents, at least four of the victims feared that if they did not continue working for Papantoniadis, he would hurt them and/or report them to immigration authorities.
Papantoniadis has been held without bail. He is scheduled to be back in court on June 13.
The charges of forced labor and attempted forced labor each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.