Filipino couple reportedly involved in San Bruno labor trafficking scheme

Maria de los Reyes, the wife of a CFO of a Philippine water company Maynilad, was arrested in San Bruno, Calif. on charges related to human trafficking, according to authorities.

Her husband, Ricardo, is still at large. The couple is accused of forcing a female victim into slavery, according to San Bruno police, and allegedly brought her “into the United States from another country,” forced her into “unreasonable servitude with little to no compensation under the threat of deportation and other consequences for her family abroad.”

According to ABS-CBN News sources, Maria is a well-known dentist in the Filipino community, and she holds her clinic, King St. Dental, in downtown San Francisco.

Sources say Maria posted bail of $17,000. The investigation began in 2016, according to San Bruno police.

In a statement to ABS-CBN News, a Maynilad COO confirmed the case, saying Ricardo is informed of the accusations, and that he and his wife and ready to disprove them in court.

No public comments from the couple were made to Balitang America at this time.