MOORESTOWN, NJ — Bolaji Bolarinwa, 51, of Moorestown, has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for orchestrating a forced labor scheme that involved two women whom she coerced into domestic servitude and childcare under threats and abuse.
The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court after Bolarinwa was found guilty of multiple charges, including two counts of forced labor, one count of alien harboring for financial gain, and two counts of document servitude.
Bolarinwa was convicted following a two-week trial, which concluded with a jury determining that Bolarinwa exploited her victims between December 2015 and October 2016.
Federal prosecutors revealed that Bolarinwa, originally from Nigeria and now a U.S. citizen, orchestrated the scheme by bringing the victims into the United States, stripping them of their passports, and forcing them into round-the-clock labor in her home. The first victim arrived in December 2015 and was immediately coerced into working without rest under threats of harm to herself and her daughter. She was subjected to verbal abuse and constant isolation during her time with Bolarinwa.
In April 2016, Bolarinwa recruited a second victim who entered the U.S. on a student visa. This victim, whose passport was also confiscated, was subjected to physical abuse as a means of coercion. Both women were kept under constant surveillance and psychological pressure until October 2016, when the second victim disclosed the situation to a college professor. This led to an FBI investigation and eventual charges against Bolarinwa.
In addition to her prison sentence, Judge Williams imposed three years of supervised release for Bolarinwa, as well as a $35,000 fine. She was also ordered to pay $87,518.72 in restitution to the victims.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender and Trial Attorney Elizabeth Hutson of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The FBI Newark Office, under Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, led the investigation.
This case was part of the Human Trafficking Task Force initiated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. Launched in 2025, the task force coordinates efforts to combat human trafficking, involving various federal and state agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Labor, and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
The prosecution of this case underscores the federal commitment to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting forced labor and human trafficking offenses in the United States.
