Conway man pleads guilty to enslaving black man with 'intellectual disabilities'

A Conway man pleaded guilty Monday to forced labor and admitted he used violence, threats, isolation and intimidation to force a man with an "intellectual disability" to work more than 100 hours a week without pay, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Bobby Paul Edwards, 53, is facing up to 20 years in prison for forcing a man to work as a cook at the J&J cafeteria, authorities said. The incident happened over a 5-year period, said Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Beth Drake of the District of South Carolina. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Edwards managed the Conway restaurant where the victim, identified in court as "JCS," had worked since he was 12 years old, a release said. Once Edwards began managing the restaurant in 2009, he increased JCS’s duties, requiring him to work more than 100 hours per week, stopped paying the victim and began using violence, threats, isolation and intimidation, authorities said.

According to court documents and Edwards' admissions, he used abusive language toward the victim, racial names, and acts of violence, the release states. Edwards beat JCS with a belt, punched the victim with his fists, hit him with pots and pans, and burned his bare neck with hot tongs in order to compel the victim to work faster or to punish him for mistakes, officials said.

The defendant forced the victim to work in those conditions until October 2014, when authorities removed the victim from the premises after receiving complaints about the abuse, the release stated.

“Human trafficking through forced labor can happen on farms, in homes, and as today's case shows – in public places, such as restaurants,” Gore said. “Edwards abused an African-American man with intellectual disabilities by coercing him to work long hours in a restaurant without pay. Combating human trafficking by forced labor is one of the highest priorities of this Justice Department and today’s guilty plea reflects our commitment to seeking justice on behalf of victims of human trafficking.”

The defendant will also be required to pay restitution to JCS in an amount that will be decided at the time of sentencing, according to the terms of the plea agreement. Edwards also faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for forced labor and a $250,000 maximum fine.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong

This story was originally published June 6, 2018 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Conway man pleads guilty to enslaving black man with 'intellectual disabilities'."