CHICAGO, IL – The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal of Domingo Francisco‑Juan, who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in kidnapping and forcing a Guatemalan minor into labor in central Illinois.
According to court records, Francisco‑Juan and others conspired beginning in 2015 to bring the victim to the United States under false promises of education. Instead, the victim was forced to work, threatened, and sexually abused for more than five years. Francisco‑Juan had also re‑entered the country illegally after eight prior deportations.
He pleaded guilty in two consolidated cases to kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, forced labor, conspiracy to commit forced labor, and illegal re‑entry. The district court sentenced him to life in prison, along with concurrent supervised release terms of three and five years.
On appeal, Francisco‑Juan’s attorney filed an Anders brief asserting that no non‑frivolous grounds for appeal existed. The appellate panel agreed, finding his guilty pleas valid and his appeal waiver enforceable. The judges noted that any ineffective‑assistance claims could be raised later through collateral review.
The appeals were formally dismissed.
