Filipino American family members guilty of labor trafficking

Members of the Gamos family guilty of labor trafficking and one of their properties.

Four members of a Filipino American family who operated an adult residential company have been found guilty of labor trafficking.

The four members of the Gamos family exploited immigrant emplloyees over the course of decade from 2008 to 2018 while operating Rainbow Bright. an adult residential and child care company in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The defendants targeted members of the Filipino community, many of whom were recent immigrants to the United States, for human trafficking and labor exploitation. The defendants trafficked many of the victims using threats of arrest and deportation, false promises to assist with immigration, and some passports were confiscated. Defendant Joshua Gamos also physically abused one of the victims.  

“Today, we held the Gamos family accountable for their despicable crimes,” California's Attorney General Bonta announced Monday, June 7.

“This organized criminal enterprise targeted vulnerable people looking for work opportunities, and exploited and abused workers in a horrific trafficking scheme. Let me be clear: This behavior will never be tolerated in California.”

Rainbow Bright employees were required to live and work in care homes and day care for hours far exceeding a normal work day, and forced to sleep on floors and in garages. Some employees reported being locked outside when defendants were not home. Rainbow Bright defendants deterred the employees from leaving the dismal working conditions by regularly threatening to turn the employees over to U.S. immigration officials and by confiscating some employees’ passports.

The jury found that the defendants made over $500,000 through their scheme; the victims were vulnerable; and that defendants acted with intent to cause great bodily injury and with cruelty, viciousness, and callousness.

Each of the following defendants were found guilty:

• Joshua Gamos, 46, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit human trafficking and grand theft of labor, one count of human trafficking, 16 counts of grand theft of labor, one count of workers’ compensation fraud, nine counts of failure to file unemployment tax returns, and nine counts of failure to collect or pay unemployment insurance taxes;
• Noel Gamos, 44, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit human trafficking and grand theft of labor, one count of human trafficking, 16 counts of grand theft of labor, nine counts of failure to file unemployment insurance tax returns and nine counts of failure to collect or pay unemployment insurance taxes; and
• Carlina Gamos, 70, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit human trafficking and grand theft of labor, two counts of human trafficking, 17 counts of grand theft of labor, nine counts of failure to file unemployment insurance tax returns, and nine counts of failure to collect or pay unemployment insurance taxes.

Gerlen Gamos, 42, previously pleaded guilty on January 30, 2019, to two counts of grand theft.

Sentencing for these defendants is scheduled for August 19 at 8:30 AM at San Mateo County Superior Court.

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