The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) helped secure justice for two child labor trafficking victims from Benin in a landmark Chicago case. All convictions and sentences have now been fully upheld on appeal.
This was the first child labor trafficking case prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. The case exposed how traffickers exploited vidomegon—a cultural child placement practice in Benin—to carry out a transnational forced-labor scheme in the United States. The investigation began after a teenage girl escaped an abusive household in Chicago’s southern suburbs and sought help. Investigators subsequently identified a second minor victim. The girls had entered the United States on visas after their families were told they would travel with trusted adults and have better lives. Instead, the perpetrators forced them to work without pay as full-time nannies and hair braiders and controlled them through threats of violence and deportation.
The case required years of collaboration across agencies and continents. DSS special agents from the Chicago Field Office and the Regional Security Office at U.S. Embassy Cotonou worked with U.S. and Beninese partners to collect evidence and identify witnesses. A Foreign Service National Investigator in Cotonou helped locate, interview, prepare, translate for, and escort witnesses from rural Benin to Chicago. DSS personnel also coordinated witness travel and logistics, and the lead DSS case agent provided expert testimony about the visa-fraud scheme used to bring the girls to the United States.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts. Nawomi Awoga received 102 months in prison; Marina Oke received 94 months; and Assiba Fandohan received 80 months. The sentences totaled 23 years, and the court ordered $1,212,105.40 in restitution to the two victims.
Because the case was under appeal, the Department could not previously discuss it in detail. With the appeals process complete, the Department can now share the case publicly. The two young women are building new lives. One earned an associate degree and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree, with plans to attend law school. The other earned a bachelor’s degree and works as a social worker.
The cooperation between DSS personnel in Chicago and Cotonou demonstrates how the DSS global network helps law enforcement partners follow evidence across borders, protect victims, and deliver justice.
About the Diplomatic Security Service
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is the law enforcement and security arm of the U.S. Department of State. DSS has the largest global presence of any U.S. law enforcement organization, operating at more than 270 U.S. diplomatic posts in more than 170 countries, and in 33 U.S. cities. The organization leads worldwide security and law enforcement efforts to advance U.S. foreign policy and safeguard national security interests.