Recruitment company owner found guilty of forced labor

A federal jury in Denver found Kizzy Kalu, owner of Foreign Healthcare Professionals Group, guilty on 89 counts including human trafficking, mail fraud and visa fraud, according to an article in the Denver Post. Kalu and his former partner, Philip Langerman,  recruited foreign-born nurses to fill high-salaried university-level positions.

The positions were advertised on the Internet as being available at the fictitious Adams University. Each nurse paid $6,500 to secure a visa. When the nurses found that the advertised jobs were nonexistent, Kalu threatened them with deportation if they did not work at area nursing homes and long-term care centers for substandard wages. In turn, the facilities paid Foreign Healthcare Professionals Group the wages, of which they kept nearly 40 percent.

When the government became interested in the scam, facilities paid the nurses directly, but the nurses were required to kick back $1,200 a month to the company.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service, Homeland Security, Diplomatic Security Service, and the State Department’s Office of Inspector General and Office of Labor and Racketeering, according to an article on Lexology.com.

Langerman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and visa fraud. The date for his sentencing has not been set. Kalu was found guilty on 89 counts. His sentencing is set for Sept. 23, and he could receive up to 20 years in prison.

Sandra Hoban

Sandra Hoban was on I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living’s editorial staff for 17 years. She is one of the country’s longest-serving senior care journalists. Before joining Long-Term Living, she was a member of the promotions department at Advanstar Communications. In addition to her editorial experience, Sandi has served past roles in print and broadcast advertising as a traffic and talent coordinator.