FLORIDA CREWLEADER RON EVANS SR FOUND GUILTY ON 57 OF 58 CHARGES IN FEDERAL COURT, FACES UP TO LIFE IN PRISON…

A federal jury in Jacksonville, FL, returned a verdict of guilty on 57 of 58 charges against Ron Evans, Sr., a crewleader convicted by federal prosecutors of luring farmworkers, many of them homeless people recruited from shelters, into “a form of servitude.”

The charges against Evans included drug conspiracy and running a continuing criminal enterprise. His wife was also found guilty on multiple charges. According to press reports, both face up to life in prison. No date has been set yet for sentencing.

The ABC News and Associated Press quote US Attorney Paul Perez of Tampa on the case against Evans (“Jury finds labor camp owners guilty” 8/25/06): “Causing homeless people to incur large debts by selling them crack, cigarettes and beer forces these individuals into a form of servitude that is morally and legally reprehensible.”

Evans operated a crew in both Florida and North Carolina. An article in the Fayetteville (NC) Observer Online paints a vivid picture of conditions faced by workers on Evans’ crew, including accusations of coercion and violence that bring to mind the very worst of the slavery cases to have come out of Florida in recent years. Here’s an excerpt:

“Five other former Evans employees charged in the case have pleaded guilty. In plea agreements, they indicated that Evans deceived, manipulated and coerced workers — a deliberate attempt to keep them addicted to cocaine and indebted to their boss… Laborers also told investigators that Evans and his son, Ron Evans Jr., carried pistols and that a staff member circled the fenced-in camp at night with a flashlight and a machete…” READ MORE OF THE FAYETTEVILLE ARTICLE