Oregon mom, daughter indicted for trafficking Haitians in ‘indentured servitude’ at adult care home: DOJ

Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, 66, and Yolandita Marie Andre, 30, are accused of using violence and threats to force their victims to work long hours for little or no pay. The seven-count indictment charges both of them with conspiring with one another to commit forced labor, committing forced labor, and benefitting from forced labor.

Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, left, and Yolandita Marie Andre, right, are accused by the DOJ of trafficking three Haitians for forced labor at their adult care home in Tigard, Oregon

Court documents state that Valmont and Andre, the owners and operators of Velida's Care Home in Tigard, began their human trafficking scheme in Sept. 2023, when they convinced two adults and a child from Haiti to travel to the United States to work at their adult care home. Valmont allegedly promised to sponsor the three victims under what she called the "Uncle Biden Plan," a term she used to describe the protected status put in place for Haitians by US immigration services, as per the prosecutor's memo.

After arriving in the Portland area, the victims were immediately taken to Velida's where they were allegedly forced to work long, arduous 17-hour days for little or no pay, often making $2.00 per hour or nothing at all. Valmont and Andre are alleged to have taken the victim's immigration paperwork upon arrival and forbade them from leaving the home under any circumstances. The victims were also forced to sleep on the floor, according to the indictment.

Additionally, Valmont is alleged to have thrown items at the victims, threatened to send them back to Haiti and have them killed, and threatened to call police to make false theft allegations against them if they spoke to anyone about what was happening inside the home. The alleged forced labor occurred from Sept. 8, 2023, to July 24, 2024, prosecutors said.

Velida's Care Home located in Tigard, Ore. Credit: Velida's wesbite

Images of the rooms inside Velida's Care Home. Credit: Velida's website

Authorities with the Oregon Department of Justice were alerted to the situation at Velida's by state child welfare workers in the summer of 2023 after the 16-year-old minor victim disclosed that she was victimized in the alleged scheme to a pediatrician. The minor was removed from the home shortly after the visit and was placed in foster care.

The FBI arrested Valmont and Andre outside their care home on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. They were taken into custody without incident, authorities said. The defendants were arraigned in federal court before US Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Armistead on Friday, Sept. 27. Valmont and Andre pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released from custody pending further court proceedings.

During the hearing, prosecutors told the judge that when the alleged victims went to report their conditions to Tigard police, Valmont arrived in the police parking lot, prompting them to seek refuge at a nearby fire station until an officer could take their statements. Furthermore, Andre allegedly paid a visit to the minor victim's school over the past two weeks to inquire about any information she might have given to authorities, prosecutors said.

The defendants face up to more than 40 years in prison if convicted on charges. Committing and benefiting from forced labor are charges both punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.

Velida's Care Home in Tigard was licensed by the Oregon Department of Human Services in 2023, and the mother-daughter owners and administrators were compensated $191,506.97 for the care of residents. In a detention memo obtained by Oregonian, prosecutors revealed that Valmont and Andre, a registered nurse, were receiving nearly $13,000 per month for the care of two residents of the home. The state agency has since severed its contract.

The mom and daughter have maintained their innocence, claiming to a KATU reporter that they, themselves, are both immigrants and were reportedly helping the Haitians out. Valmont is from Haiti and Andre is from the Dominican Republic, but both are US citizens and have been in the country for more than a decade.

In 2021, court records show that Marie Jean Valmont, the mother who was indicted, sued a Portland nonprofit for $250,000 for alleged racial discrimination after she was fired.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Tigard Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Eliza Carmen-Rodriguez, assistant US attorney for the District of Oregon.