A West Virginia couple, Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz, received prison sentences of 215 and 160 years, respectively, for forcing their five adopted Black children into slave labor.
Authorities discovered the abuse after a welfare check revealed children locked in a shed without water or sanitation.
The couple, charged with human trafficking, child neglect, and forced labor, targeted the children because of their race.
The court ordered them to pay $280,000 in restitution each.
A white West Virginia couple found guilty of forcing their five adopted Black children to work as "slaves" on their farm were sentenced to hundreds of years in prison.
Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 63, was sentenced Wednesday to 215 years in prison. Her husband, Donald Lantz, 64, received 160 years.
“You brought these kids to West Virginia, a place as I know as almost heaven and put them in hell,” Circuit Court Judge MaryClaire Akers said.
An indictment alleged that the couple targeted the children for forced labor because of their race. They were charged with human trafficking, child neglect, forced labor, and other crimes.
A West Virginia couple, Jeanne Kay Whitefeather and Donald Lantz, received prison sentences of 215 and 160 years, respectively, for forcing their five adopted Black children into slave labor.
Authorities discovered the abuse after a welfare check revealed children locked in a shed without water or sanitation.
The couple, charged with human trafficking, child neglect, and forced labor, targeted the children because of their race.
The court ordered them to pay $280,000 in restitution each.