Man Gets 2 Years In Modern Day Slavery Case
EAGAN, Minn. (WCCO) -- An Eagan man will spend the next two years in federal prison for a modern day slavery case.
This week, a federal judge handed down the sentence after Joo Ok Kim kept five Mexican nationals in the basement of his former home for four months.
According to court records, Kim used the illegal immigrants to make money, forcing them to work for his siding company with little pay and poor living conditions, starting in November of 2008. They never ran because they feared deportation.
"There would be a lot of cars over there, but trying to decipher if that meant there were a lot of people in house would have been impossible," said Patrick Shaw, a neighbor.
"Everyone suspected something strange, but not to this extent," said Shandin Moyne, who lives near the home where five men were enslaved.
Long-time neighbors said Kim kept to himself. They considered the home on the 1400 block of Highview Avenue the mystery house in a close knit community.
"I almost feel guilty living right next door, knowing people were suffering there. I'm enraged," said Moyne.
Dain Johnson bought Kim's property about a year and a half ago. He knew he was buying a house that needed to be remodeled, but he had no idea of its history.
"When I walked in it just looked like other foreclosures. It was shabby when I bought it. I was expecting to just fix it up, like other house ," said Johnson.
He heard the men were forced to stay in the basement, a place he described as unlivable.
This home has a history that will never be forgotten, but Johnson is trying to create a new beginning.
"That's what new homeowners do, fix the problems of the past," said Johnson.
He also hopes the five victims can do the same.
Some of the neighbors are pretty upset with the sentence, thinking it should be much longer. Law enforcement found out about this human trafficking, because the five men were eventually pushed to their limit. In March of 2009, the men got into a fight with Kim and police were called.
