The former Kaiapoi Domino’s Pizza Franchise owner, Chang-Wei Tsao, has been found guilty of six charges, including migrant exploitation, the New Zealand immigration authorities have announced.
The convict, also known as David Tsao, was sentenced to ten months of home detention and ordered to pay compensation, VisaGuide.World reports.
The General Manager of Immigration Investigations and Compliance, Steve Watson, said that the investigation about Tsao came after authorities received a complaint about a Domino’s worker in Kaiapoi who had been working in violation of their visa rules.
According to authorities, Tsao compelled the employee in question to continue working despite their expired visa. The investigation team also found that Tsao had coerced three student visa holders to work more than the 20 hours per week they were allowed to while studying.
In addition to the above-mentioned charges, Tsao has been found guilty of exploitation of another worker regarding underpayment of salaries and leave. As explained by authorities, he required the employee in question to pay illegal premiums worth about NZD $7,061.98 (US $4288).
Exploiting Migrant Workers Will Not Be Tolerated, New Zealand’s Official Says
Commenting on Tsao’s sentence, Watson said violating the law and exploiting foreign workers will not be tolerated, noting that those who do so will be held responsible for their actions.
I’m incredibly proud of the hard work of our investigators in this case and the empathetic approach they took when dealing with these vulnerable migrants who had been deliberately taken advantage of by their employers.
Watson further said that New Zealand’s authorities take into account all complaints very seriously and encourage migrants potentially being exploited to report their cases by calling MBIE on 0800 20 00 88 or through the reporting migrant exploitation webpage.
Another Convict in Migrant Exploitation Case Pays $80,000 to Three Victims
In addition to Chang-Wei Tsao, another employer in New Zealand was sentenced for similar charges earlier this year.
In January 2024, Jafar Kurisi, also known as Tauranga Ali, was found guilty of several charges related to migrant exploitation. Authorities started investigating Kurisi’s case in late 2020 following claims by a group of Kurisi’s former migrant workers.
As authorities recently revealed, he avoided a prison sentence by paying reparation of $80,000 to the three victims. In addition, Jafar Kurisi was sentenced to 12 months home detention.