Grower Accused of Enslaving Laborers Faces New Counts

A Ventura County flower grower already accused of enslaving at least 60 Mexican laborers on his ranch was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on additional charges of witness tampering, extortion and racketeering.

The grand jury, which indicted rancher Edwin M. Ives, 54, and seven others in May on a variety of civil rights and immigration violations, added three new defendants Thursday, including Ives’ 47-year-old wife, Dolly, who prosecutors say ran the ranch’s business office.

Federal prosecutors also announced their intention to seize about $5 million in Ives property, including two Ventura County ranches, a ranch in San Bernardino County, a Palm Springs condominium and bank accounts.

Prosecutors said the defendants’ assets would be frozen and not be available for legal fees. Foreiture would take place upon conviction.

The new indictment charged that Ives and several other defendants who are now free on bail have attempted to bribe and intimidate witnesses since original charges were filed in May.

The other two new defendants are ranch foremen Jose Sandoval, 36, and Hector Hernandez, 34. Hernandez, allegedly beat up one witness and threatened or attempted to bribe others, the indictment said.

Edwin Ives and the others are all charged with conspiring to enslave laborers recruited from rural Mexican villages in the 1980s, forcing them to work for about $1 an hour.

Prosecutors have described the case as the largest ever filed under an 81-year-old federal anti-slavery statute.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh said Thursday that expansion of the original 15-count indictment to 46 counts “demonstrates our strong determination to extend the umbrella of human and civil rights protections to all--including illegal immigrants.”

Lourdes G. Baird, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said that the case represents the first time federal anti-racketeering laws have been invoked in a civil rights case. The anti-racketeering law allows the government to seize property.

The Iveses’ attorney, Robert Talcott, called it “total rubbish” and “a desperate attempt by the government to bolster a failing case.”