Pizza shop owner broke worker’s teeth, threatened to have employees deported, feds say

The owner of a chain of pizzerias in Boston forced employees to “work against their will” using scare tactics, abuse and threats of deportation, federal officials said.

Stavros Papantoniadis, 47, of Westwood, Massachusetts, is accused of labor trafficking and targeting individuals without immigration status to work at his Stash’s Pizza locations, according to prosecutors. These employees were underpaid, working six to seven days a week and without breaks, officials said.

One employee worked at Stash’s Pizza for 14 years out of fear, according to prosecutors who said he was repeatedly attacked by Papantoniadis. The shop owner is accused of threatening to kill the employee or report him to immigration authorities if he refused to continue working for him.

During one attack, officials said Papantoniadis broke the employee’s teeth, causing him to need dentures after his teeth were removed.

Papantoniadis, who’s known as “Steve,” was arrested on forced labor charges on March 16, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced in a news release.

“The allegations in this case are horrific,” U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a statement. “Nobody has the right to violently kick, slap, punch or choke anyone, and certainly not an employer to an employee. This case illustrates the manipulative, violent and abusive tactics some employers utilize for their own greed and financial gain.”

McClatchy News contacted Papantoniadis’ attorney for comment and didn’t immediately receive a response.

The manager of Stash’s Pizza in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood has refuted the accusations against Papantoniadis, according to NBC Boston.

“What has been charged against my dear friend Steve is beyond shocking, beyond belief and just simply untrue,” Jerry Skordas told the outlet. “I haven’t once encountered any maldoing whatsoever.”

Another Stash’s Pizza is located in Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood. Former shops were located in Norwood, Norwell, Randolph, Weymouth and Wareham, prosecutors said.

Violence and threats used to enforce ‘excessive workplace demands’

During the employee’s time working for Stash’s Pizza from 2001 to 2015, Papatoniadis is said to have derided him for being Muslim, according to the release.

When he missed work one day, Papantoniadis is accused of pushing him on the floor and calling him an “(expletive) Muslim” when he returned to Stash’s Pizza, prosecutors said.

On another occasion, prosecutors said Papantoniadis kicked the employee’s genital area. When the worker got medical treatment for this, Papantoniadis is accused of making threats to kill him or report him to immigration authorities if he chose to not come back to work.

The employee was also slapped and choked on other occasions, prosecutors said.

This former employee wasn’t the only worker who spoke out about Papantoniadis getting violent and making threats at work, according to prosecutors.

Papantonidadis regularly “threatened to have employees deported from the United States and used violence and threats to scare victims and ensure that they complied with his excessive workplace demands,” the release said.

Another employee said that when he wanted to quit his job, Papantoniadis said “he was not going to leave” and attacked him before the worker escaped into the parking lot, prosecutors said.

Papantoniadis is accused of reporting another former employee to police, falsely accusing them of hitting his car parked at Stash’s Pizza and fleeing, when they wanted to quit, according to officials.

If convicted of forced labor, Papantoniadis could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, according to the release.

“This case illustrates the manipulative, violent and abusive tactics some employers utilize for their own greed and financial gain,” Rollins said. “Labor trafficking is real and happening every day in Massachusetts and beyond.”

In 2021, about 27.6 million people were victims of forced labor internationally, according to the U.S. State Department, which cites the International Labour Organization and the Walk Free Foundation’s September 2022 Global Estimates Modern Slavery report.

Westwood is about 25 miles southwest of Boston.

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