Brothers sentenced to 20 years following human trafficking probe

PHILADELPHIA – Two brothers from Ukraine were sentenced to 20 years in prison for their roles in an extensive human trafficking enterprise. The sentencing follows a task force investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

Mykhaylo Botsvynyuk, 37, and Yaroslav Churuk, 48, were convicted at trial, on Feb. 24,  of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, in relation to several predicate offenses in furtherance of the conspiracy, including: a) peonage; b) involuntary servitude; c) extortion and attempted extortion; d) and several immigration offenses, including bringing aliens into the United States at a place other than a designated port of entry, encouraging or inducing illegal entry of aliens, transporting aliens, and harboring illegal aliens for purposes of financial gain. 

At the 2015 trial, the government presented the testimony of seven victims of trafficking and several family member victims from Ukraine who received extortionate threats of physical harm from other members of and associates of the enterprise.

From the Fall of 2000 through the Spring of 2007, members of the enterprise lured Ukrainian nationals into the United States with promises of good-paying jobs, room and board, and the opportunity to live and work in the United States to earn up to $500 per month and/or approximately $10,000 after three years’ work.

The criminal organization provided the smuggled workers with all of the necessary travel documents and costs, including false travel documents, plane and/or bus tickets, hotel money, cash for travel expenses, visas to Mexico, and even provided attorneys to assist those detained by U.S. immigration authorities upon crossing the Mexico/U.S. border. Once in the United States, the smuggled workers were divided up and each assigned to work for defendant Mykhaylo Botsvynyuk, Omelyan Botsvynyuk, Yaroslav Churuk or Stepan Botsvynyuk. 

Omelyan and Stepan Botsvynyuk were convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to life plus 20 years, and 20 years in prison, respectively.

The joint effort also included the Joint FBI Organized Crime/ICE Human Trafficking Alien Smuggling Task Force with additional assistance by the Pennsylvania State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Department of Labor Officer of Inspector General, Toronto police Department, German National Police, Berlin State Police, Ukraine Security Service, U.S. National Central Bureau, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and Interpol.