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CHARLESTON -- A Parkersburg man pleaded guilty Thursday to concealing, harboring and shielding an alien from detection, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia said.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 10, 2010, Frederick Sayre Anderson, 63, signed and submitted Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiance, to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a release from U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said.
Anderson admitted he filed the petition to obtain a 90-day fiance K-1 nonimmigrant visa so a foreign national could re-enter the United States, Thompson said.
The foreign national was granted the visa, which required her and Anderson to marry within 90 days, Thompson said. She arrived in the United States on Jan. 8, 2011, and Anderson got her in Pittsburgh and took her to Parkersburg the following day, Thompson said.
The foreign national lived and worked at Anderson's place of business until May 7, 2021, Thompson said.
Anderson admitted the foreign national did not receive compensation for the work she performed at his place of business and further admitted that he did not marry her, and her K-1 visa expired on April 8, 2011, making her ongoing presence in the U.S. unlawful.
In May 2021, federal immigration agents went Anderson's place of business on at least three occasions, Thompson said. Anderson admitted he took steps to prevent government officials from detecting the foreign national, Thompson said. Anderson instructed her to hide behind the business during one of those occasions, Thompson said.
Anderson then lied to the federal agents during that visit, falsely alleging she did not live inside the business, that she had left months prior and that he did not know where she was, Thompson said.
"Mr. Anderson's criminal conduct facilitated the exploitation of an individual for more than a decade," Thompson said. "While human trafficking is not charged in this case, it underscores the importance of learning how to identify, prevent and respond to coerced labor and other forms of human trafficking."Anderson is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18. He faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Thompson commended the investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the West Virginia State Police and the Parkersburg Police Department. Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the case.
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Resources including facts and myths about human trafficking are available at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking.