On Wednesday, an indictment was unsealed in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. The indictment charges 52-year-old Bobby Paul Edwards of Conway, South Carolina with a single count of forced labor. The indictment claims that Edwards used force, threats, physical restraint and coercion to force a victim with an intellectual disability to work between September 2009 and October 2014.
The victim was forced to work as a buffet cook at the J&J Cafeteria in Conway. At the time of the alleged crime, Edwards served as the restaurant’s manager. If Edwards is convicted of the crime, he will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. At this point in time, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.