St. Charles County Residents Sentenced to Prison in Forced Labor Case

ST. LOUIS - Three St. Charles County, Missouri residents have been sentenced for their roles in the forced labor of an Indian national.

U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Thursday sentenced Venkatesh Sattaru, 38, to 50 months in prison. Judge Ross ordered that sentence to run concurrently with a 5-year sentence for second-degree domestic assault in St. Charles County Circuit Court. Sattaru has also paid a forfeiture money judgment of $74,634 to the Department of Homeland Security, restitution of $83,776 to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and restitution of an agreed upon sum to his victim.

Sattaru pleaded guilty in April to one count of confiscating or concealing immigration paperwork while obtaining the labor or services of a person by means of serious harm or threats of serious harm and one count of theft of government funds. The victim is Sattaru's cousin, an Indian national who arrived in St. Louis on Dec. 16, 2022. The victim lived in Sattaru's O'Fallon home and was required to perform household chores, run errands and work in a company owned by Sattaru, the plea agreement says. In February 2023, Sattaru moved the victim into a home that was being renovated for eventual rental on Daniel Drive in O'Fallon. Around September 2023, Sattaru moved the victim into a different home being renovated on Highway D.

When the victim failed to perform his duties, he was punished with the confiscation of his immigration paperwork as well as sleep deprivation, physical abuse and restricted access to the bathroom, bathing and food. Sometimes Sattaru punished the victim himself. At other times, Sravan Penumetcha and Nikhil Penmasta punished the victim, either at Sattaru's request or on their own initiative, Sattaru's plea agreement says. The physical abuse included the use of dangerous weapons and resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim.

During some of this time, Sattaru, a U.S. Army veteran, was also exaggerating his VA disability to increase his compensation under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, also known as the Caregiver Support Program. The PCAFC provides monthly financial compensation to caregivers, who are typically relatives, to care for qualified veterans or service members. Sattaru fraudulently caused his caregiver to receive $83,776 in extra compensation from the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Penmatsa, 30, of Defiance, pleaded guilty on April 2 to one count of knowingly confiscating or concealing immigration paperwork. He is Sattaru's brother-in-law. He was sentenced in August to 37 months in prison, consecutive to the 3-year sentence he received in St. Charles County Circuit Court.

Penumetcha, 26, pleaded guilty on March 13 to the same charge and was sentenced in June to 30 months in prison.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the St. Charles County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianna Edwards prosecuted the case.