A California couple appeared in court this week to enter not guilty pleas on human trafficking and labor charges stemming from allegations they exploited undocumented Filipino workers at two elder care facilities in San Diego County.
Rolando “Bobby” Solancho Corpuz, 57, and Maria Elsabel Sio Corpuz, 41, face charges tied to their operation of the Rosa Garden Villa in Vista and the Rose Garden Capo in Escondido, where prosecutors say three undocumented Filipino caregivers were subjected to grueling conditions and illegally low wages.
Court records show the victims were paid between $130 and $150 per day for six- or seven-day workweeks — below California’s minimum wage requirements — and received no overtime compensation even when shifts extended into round-the-clock stretches. The couple allegedly exploited the workers’ immigration status as leverage, with one victim told by Rolando Corpuz to comply with his demands “or he would report her to immigration,” according to a declaration filed in support of an arrest warrant.
A portion of the workers’ earnings were withheld under the premise that the money would fund legal fees to help them obtain permanent residency. One victim had more than $19,000 deducted from her wages, though only roughly $4,000 was ever paid to the Corpuzes’ immigration attorney, the declaration states.
Prosecutors also allege the workers were assigned to care for more than a dozen patients at a time despite lacking caregiver qualifications. Their duties included administering medications and giving insulin injections — tasks that require certification they did not hold.
Aquilina Soriano-Versoza, executive director of the Pilipino Workers Center, voiced support for the workers, saying they “are standing with these courageous Filipino home care workers who are taking action to hold exploitative employers accountable so that other workers are not exploited in the same way.” She added that the cases demonstrate workers can pursue wage claims successfully and that accountability deters future violations.
The Corpuzes were released on $300,000 bail. A judge rejected a prosecution request Thursday to increase bail to $1 million per defendant but ordered the couple to surrender their passports and barred them from running a care facility without proper licensing while their case proceeds. Each faces close to 20 years in state prison if convicted on all counts.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said it believes additional victims may exist and called on former employees with relevant information to come forward.
