United States Seventh Circuit

In the prosecution of a husband and wife for keeping an alien in the United States illegally and forcing her to work as their housekeeper, convictions for obtaining and conspiring to obtain forced labor, and conspiring to harbor an alien for private financial gain are affirmed but the sentences reversed and remanded, where: 1) the forced-labor statute was not vague or overbroad; 2) jury instructions on forced labor correctly stated the law; 3) there was sufficient evidence to support a conviction for harboring an alien; and 4) sentence enhancements should have been applied for commitment of another felony during the course of committing the crime of forced labor, for a vulnerable victim, and for use of a minor to commit a crime.

Appellate Information

• Argued 01/09/2008
• Decided 08/15/2008
• Published 08/15/2008

Judges

• WOOD, Circuit Judge., Before WOOD, SYKES, and TINDER, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Seventh Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Sarah E. Harrington (argued), Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Appellate Division, Washington, DC, for Plaintiff-Appellee/Cross-Appellant., Dean A. Strang (argued), Marcus J. Berghahn, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Madison, WI, Michael J. Fitzgerald, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Milwaukee, WI, for Defendants-Appellants/Cross-Appellees.