July 24, 2026
Brad Nading/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
New Garden Township resident Ramiro Caal Jolomna brought minors into the country via Mexico and then forced them to work off their 'debts.' His immigrant victims were 12 and 17.
A Chester County man who forced two children into involuntary servitude has been convicted of multiple felonies.
Ramiro Caal Jolomna, a resident of New Garden Township, pleaded guilty Thursday to numerous charges stemming from his trafficking and extortion of immigrant minors. The 37-year-old brought two girls into the country, then forced them to work grueling hours at a mushroom farm. He pocketed most, if not all, of their pay and threatened to have them deported if they left or reported him to law enforcement.
The victims, aged 12 and 17, came to America from Guatemala via Mexico. Neither attended school while working off their "debts," which they did seven days a week for as long as 16 hours.
Jolomna, who is himself undocumented and subject to an immigration detainer, will be sentenced at a later date.
"This conviction is a milestone in the fight to combat labor traffickers who devalue human beings,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. "Felony convictions in these cases are very difficult, and thanks to effective collaboration with the Pennsylvania State Police, we achieved one today. Labor trafficking, while not as often in the headlines, is cruel conduct that forces victims into a routine of helplessness and silence."
Jolomna was convicted on two counts of human trafficking, two counts of involuntary servitude, one count of theft by extortion and one count of receiving stolen property in Chester County court. Sunday's human trafficking unit brought the charges with assistance from state police.
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