Pizza Shop Owner Sentenced to 8.5 Years for Labor Trafficking.
Stavros Papantoniadis, a 49-year-old owner of Stash’s Pizza from Westwood, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to 8.5 years in federal prison for labor trafficking. Papantoniadis was found guilty of intimidating employees with threats of deportation and using physical violence to maintain control over his workforce at two pizzerias in the Boston area.
Stavros Papantoniadis, the owner of Stash’s Pizza, coerced six individuals—five men and one woman—into working under harsh conditions, employing severe intimidation tactics. He threatened to report them to immigration authorities, exploiting their vulnerable status as undocumented workers. A jury convicted him on three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor in June.
On Friday, Stavros Papantoniadis received a sentence of 102 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $35,000 fine. Prosecutors described how he created a hostile work environment, pressuring employees to meet unreasonable expectations through threats and violence.
Papantoniadis has been in custody since his arrest in March 2023. His attorney has indicated plans to seek a new trial and file an appeal, expressing dissatisfaction with the sentence's length.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua Levy stated that Papantoniadis's actions were driven by greed. “Labor trafficking exploits the vulnerable through fear and intimidation, all in pursuit of the almighty buck. That is what Stavros Papantoniadis did when he violated the rights of the people working in his restaurants. He deliberately hired foreign nationals who lacked authorization to work in the United States and then turned their lack of immigration status against them, threatening them with deportation and violence to keep them under his control.” Attorney Joshua Levy remarked.
Investigators revealed that Stavros Papantoniadis operated his pizza shops with minimal staffing, requiring workers to labor 14 or more hours a day, often seven days a week. To reinforce his dominance, he monitored employees with surveillance cameras and threatened them with violence. One victim who planned to quit was choked by Papantoniadis, prompting him to flee the shop. Another worker attempting to leave was chased down a highway, with Papantoniadis falsely reporting him to local police to force his return.
Related: Understanding Federal Crime: What Qualifies As A Federal Offence?
