A man from Monroe was indicted for labor trafficking, transporting, harboring, and bringing a non-citizen to the U.S. for financial gain, according to U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.

A federal grand jury in Seattle determined there was enough evidence to charge 55-year-old Rangel Ramirez-Manzano with four federal felonies Wednesday.

Ramirez-Manzano allegedly abused the woman physically, sexually, and emotionally. He also allegedly threatened her family and forced her to work for no compensation.

According to records filed in the case, Ramirez-Manzano had known the woman since she was young in Mexico. He pursued a long-distance relationship with her and urged her to move to the U.S. to be his girlfriend.

He is believed to have paid smugglers $17,000 to bring her from Mexico to the U.S.

The woman thought she would be continuing a romantic relationship with him and would not be required to pay back any costs for traveling across the border. Instead, she was abused and forced to work long hours to pay off the smuggling “debt”.

Almost immediately after arriving in Washington, he forced her to begin hard labor for his landscaping business and threatened to kill her children back in Mexico.

The woman was finally able to escape from his house with multiple injuries and asked a neighbor to call 911.

The FBI joined the Monroe police in investigating the case and Ramirez-Manzano was arrested in Sept. 2022.

“Human trafficking is often called modern-day slavery. I am pleased that our office is a leader in pursuing justice for victims in these difficult cases,” said Brown.

Ramirez-Manzano will be arraigned on the indictment on Feb. 23, 2023.

The case is being investigated by the FBI.