Massachusetts pizza chain owner sentenced to prison for forced labor Ashley Shook — WWLP

The owner of a Boston-area pizzeria chain was sentenced to prison on charges of forced labor after authorities said he threatened his workers with physical harm and deportation in order to keep some of them working 14-plus hours per day for as many as seven days per week.

BOSTON (WWLP) – The owner of a Boston-area pizzeria chain was sentenced to prison on charges of forced labor after authorities said he threatened his workers with physical harm and deportation in order to keep some of them working 14-plus hours per day for as many as seven days per week.

Stavros Papantoniadis, the owner of Stash’s Pizza, was arrested in March 2023. At the time, he was charged with a single count of forced labor, following allegations that he had intentionally hired workers without immigration status so he could subject them to unfair working conditions.

Authorities alleged that 48-year-old Papantoniadis threatened employees with deportation and used violence to scare the victims over 14 years.

“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,” read a news release issued Monday by Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy of the District of Massachusetts Department of Justice.

Levy said Papantoniadis had forced or “attempted to force” six victims (five men, one woman) to work at his pizzerias. Some of the allegations against Papantoniadis included: choking one of the workers when the employee announced intentions to quit; telling another he would kill him; and chasing a fleeing worker down a highway, after which he “falsely reported the victim to local police” to coerce the worker into staying.

Papantoniadis was convicted of three counts each of forced labor and attempted forced labor and sentenced to 102 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $35,000 fine.

“I commend the bravery of the victims here for speaking out and taking a stand against their trafficker. I hope that their strength to speak out sends a message to others whose rights are being abused that the federal government will not tolerate labor trafficking. The stiff sentence imposed on Mr. Papantoniadis demonstrates that there are grave consequences for employers who engage in this type of conduct,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Levy.

“Stavros Papantoniadis exploited and abused his employees, denying them the basic dignity every person deserves. Today’s significant sentence sends a message to employers — employees deserve to work in safety, free from harassment and abuse and exploitative employers will be held to account,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations, New England. “Labor exploitation targets the disenfranchised in our society but we want employees to know that they have a voice and HSI is working with our partners to uphold and enforce labor laws.”

“Stavros Papantoniadis used threats of arrest, deportation, reprisals, and physical violence to ensure his employees worked for wages lower than required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Today’s sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with our law enforcement and Wage and Hour Division partners to aggressively investigate labor trafficking by individuals who enrich themselves through coercion or force,” said Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Papantoniadis owns and operates Stash’s Pizza, a chain with locations in Dorchester and Roslindale, and had operated previous pizzeria locations in Norwood, Norwell, Randolph, Weymouth, and Wareham, Massachusetts.

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