A man who trapped three migrant workers on a remote Northern California cannabis farm, withholding their wages and denying them basic necessities, has been sentenced to 320 days in jail.
Georgi Antonov Tonev, 45, of Los Angeles, was convicted of multiple crimes against the workers, including false imprisonment, felony grand theft of wages, and unlawful possession of cannabis for sale, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office announced.
The ordeal began in 2025 when one of the migrant workers, Javier Escamilla-Garcia, heard about Tonev’s offer of $3,500 a month, plus free housing and meals, to work on a cannabis farm in Humboldt County. Escamilla-Garcia, along with two other migrant workers, traveled to the remote Showers Pass Farm in Bridgeville, only to find themselves essentially imprisoned.
Authorities stated the workers were kept behind a locked gate without a key and were told Tonev was monitoring them via surveillance cameras. The men spoke no English, had no transportation, and no money, leaving them isolated. Food was delivered sporadically, and no safe drinking water was supplied, leading to medical complications for two of the victims.
After working for months without pay, two of the workers left the farm, but Escamilla-Garcia remained, as Tonev promised him all wages would be paid after the cannabis was sold on the black market. By February 2026, with heavy snow hitting the area and having gone unpaid for 10 months, Escamilla-Garcia feared for his life and managed to contact the Mexican Consulate via Facebook Messenger. The consulate alerted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, which initiated search-and-rescue efforts and located him.
During the sentencing, Judge Steven Steward characterized Tonev’s actions as a “profound imbalance of power,” stating that Tonev controlled the workers' wages, living conditions, and access to necessities. The judge emphasized that the seriousness of Tonev’s crimes extended beyond the monetary value stolen.
In addition to the 320-day jail sentence, Tonev will serve two years of felony probation, with a three-year-and-four-month prison term suspended. He was also ordered to pay all unpaid wages to his three victims, with the District Attorney seeking more than $120,000 in restitution.