St. Charles County residents accused of forced labor – labor trafficking – and theft

Four St. Charles County residents have been indicted on forced labor, labor trafficking, and theft of government funds. 

Venkatesh Sattaru, and two other men, were charged with trafficking for the purposes of slavery, kidnapping, abuse through forced labor, and other charges. 

They are accused of keeping a 20-year-old college student from India captive for months. 

They also face forced labor charges. 

His wife was also implicated in the case, as she claimed to be caring for her husband, who asserted that he could not perform basic tasks such as drive, cook, or shop, and collected thousands in VA benefits, totaling over 83-thousand-dollars. 

Sattaru and his wife face 48 separate counts of theft of government funds and conspiracy to commit theft.