A 34-year-old Lexington woman was arrested on a Dawson County arrest warrant Friday. Candelaria Reymundo is charged with Labor Trafficking of a Minor from May 2023 through March 14, 2024. She is being held on 10% of $50,000 bond in the Dawson County Jail.
According to a Lexington Police Department report, on March 12, 2024 officers were called to speak with a possible trafficking victim. The juvenile explained that she came to the United States from Guatemala in May 2023 and had been living with a relative. The juvenile then went on to describe that she was forced to work in order to pay about $3,000 for her coming to the United States.
She stated that she worked in a restaurant and in agriculture to pay the money back. She said all of her paychecks were given to Reymundo who was supposed to send the money to the person who loaned the money in Guatemala. She worked in a restaurant and rouging field corn over the summer that were arranged by Reymundo. She was also required to pay Reymundo $40 to be driven to and from school.
The juvenile stated that Reymundo held all of her immigration documents and would not give them to her. She was threatened with deportation or being sent back to Guatemala.
Labor Trafficking of a Minor is a Class IB felony and carries a minimum penalty of 20 years to life imprisonment.
