Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA)

Joint press release from ASATA, Maitri, and South Asian Sisters

Judge Claudia Wilkens reinstated the sentence of Lakireddy Bali Reddy, and all the conditions of release after the completion of 97 months was reinstated. This was a huge victory for community organizations, who have been working on the case for the past six years, and have put in tremendous effort to educate the community about the heinous crimes committed by Lakireddy Bali Reddy.

India Abroad
"The Lakireddy saga"
June 18, 2004
by Arthur J. Pais

At the center of this real life drama that rivaled the best efforts of Bollywood's storywriters was Lakireddy Bali Reddy.

It had all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler - the rich, respected businessman-philanthropist unveiled, dramatically, as a womanizer who exploits hapless young women.

At the center of a real-life drama that rivaled the best efforts of Bollywood's storywriters was Lakireddy Bali Reddy - the wealthy owner of over 1,000 apartments, two restaurants and assorted other businesses; a philanthropist known for his charitable contributions to the needy in his hometown, Andhra Pradesh.

This article has appeared in India West and The Voice of the Turtle.

Very American Crimes
by Raj Patel and Maninder Kahlon

This April, we witnessed that increasingly rare thing in Californian politics -- a good day. On Wednesday 7 April, the mostly African-American and Hispanic residents of Inglewood in Southern California were faced with a ballot measure sponsored by Wal-Mart, an attempt by the corporation to buy its way around democracy, and drop a "supercenter" into the center of Inglewood's community. The community said, overwhelmingly, no. On the same day in San Francisco, in Courtroom #9 of the U.S. District Court, we saw a rather more muted community victory in a civil suit against Lakireddy Bali Reddy. In 1999, when Reddy was Berkeley's richest landlord with an estate valued at $100m, Chanti Pratipatti, a 17 year old girl whom he had trafficked into the country, died of carbon monoxide poisoning in one of his properties. On 7 April, the suit brought by Pratipatti's estate was settled for an undisclosed sum.

San Francisco Chronicle
"Landlord's son avoids jail time: Protesters condemn sentence in sex case"
November 1, 2003
by Rick DelVecchio
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/11/01/BAG4C2OB6L1.DTL

The son of a wealthy Berkeley landlord sentenced to prison for smuggling teenage girls for sex and work will not serve time in custody, under a plea agreement tentatively accepted by a federal judge on Friday but criticized by protesters as too lenient.

San Jose Mercury News
"Reddy scandal fades from memory"
November 24, 2001
by Lisa Fernandez

SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Two years after one of Berkeley's wealthiest landlords was arrested for masterminding a scheme to bring dozens of Indian immigrants to the Bay Area for sex and cheap labor, the Lakireddy Bali Reddy scandal is a fading memory.

A trickle of reporters _ instead of media swarms _ now attend Reddy court hearings. The South Asian women's rights groups that rallied against sexual and labor exploitation are too busy responding to hate-crimes stemming from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

Oakland, CA: On September 12, a hearing in the case of USA v. Reddy will occur at 9am at the United States District Court, Northern District of California, Oakland Division, 1301 Clay Street, Suite 400. Members of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) will be present, once again, to express solidarity with the victims in this case and to call for Reddy to be held accountable to the South Asian community.

San Francisco Chronicle
"U.S. to aid human-trafficking victims; Attorney general cites Berkeley case in pledging protection"
July 19, 2001
by Matthew Yi
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/07/19/MN213207.DTL

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, citing a recent case against a Berkeley landlord who was sentenced to prison for smuggling in teenage girls from India for sex and cheap labor, announced yesterday that federal agencies would give greater protection and assistance to victims of human trafficking.

Daily Californian
"Reddy Gets Eight Years: Protesters Dissatisfied"
June 22, 2001
by Christine Lagorio
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=5678

Lakireddy Bali Reddy, a 64-year-old Berkeley landlord convicted of bringing young Indian girls into the country for labor and sex, was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison.

Citing the victims' severe psychological damage, U.S. District Court Judge Saundra Armstrong extended Reddy's sentence one and a half years from the original plea agreement, negotiated in March by Reddy's attorneys and federal prosecutors.

AsianWeek
"Reddy Sentenced"
June 22 - 28, 2001
by Ji Hyun Lim
http://www.asianweek.com/2001_06_22/bay2_reddysentenced.html

After a year of litigation, the case concerning the death of 17-year-old Chanti Pratipatti has come to a close. The man indirectly responsible for her death, Lakireddy Bali Reddy, was finally sentenced to 97 months — just over 8 years — in prison, and will pay $2 million in restitution to three victims and the family of Pratipatti.

Agence France Presse
"Judge throws out plea bargain in India prostitution ring"
June 20, 2001
by Glenn Chapman

OAKLAND, California, June 19: A federal judge on Tuesday rejected as too lenient a carefully crafted plea bargain negotiated with a wealthy Indian landlord suspected of importing young girls from his homeland for sex.

Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong said her conscience forbade her from allowing Lakireddy Bali Reddy, 64, to serve only 6 1/2 years in prison and pay two million dollars in restitution.

Berkeley Daily Planet
"Many applaud judge’s ruling"
June 20, 2001
by Daniela Mohor
http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm? archiveDate=06-20-01&storyID=5512

OAKLAND – Members of the organizations involved in the campaign for a just punishment for Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy reacted positively to U.S. District Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong’s decision Tuesday to sentence the Berkeley landlord to eight years in prison.

Daily Californian
"Reddy to be Sentenced Today: Lawyer’s Defense Utilizes Cultural Context"
June 19, 2001
by Virginia Griffey
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=5669

The attorney for a Berkeley landlord convicted of illegally importing young Indian girls for sex and labor will argue a "cultural defense" today, saying that sex with girls is acceptable in India.

The argument immediately offended Indian American groups, who have said the claim is inaccurate because it is illegal for minors to marry in India.

Berkeley Daily Planet
"Group wants stiffer penalty for Reddy"
June 16, 2001
by Daniela Mohor
http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm? archiveDate=06-16-01&storyID=5462

As the sentencing of Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Bali Reddy approaches, an increasing number of community members are joining the protest against the prosecution’s recommendation to submit Reddy to a minimal punishment of six years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Tuesday, April 10, 2001, Oakland: Members of the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action (ASATA) gathered outside the courthouse today as Vijay Kumar Lakireddy and Prasad Lakireddy faced status hearings, showing that the Bay Area community has not forgotten the sexual and labor exploitation brought to light more than a year ago in this case of United States of America v. Lakireddy Bali Reddy. ASATA's presence at today's hearing indicates disappointment not in the length of Reddy's prosecution sentence, but on the charges for which Reddy was prosecuted.

India-West
"Landlord's Sons Face New Charges: New sex, immigration charges threaten to add decades to sentence if Berkeley landlord's sons found guilty"
April 13, 2001
by Viji Sundaram

In an unexpected turn, the sons of Berkeley landlord Lakireddy Balireddy were charged earlier this week with a total of 21 additional criminal counts, including one he pleaded guilty to last month: importing young girls into the country for sex.

San Jose Mercury News
"Lakireddy brothers indicted on broader sexual exploitation charges"
April 11, 2001
by Sandra Gonzales

SAN JOSE, Calif. _ In a new turn in a case that stunned the Bay Area, two brothers charged in an illegal immigration smuggling scheme were indicted Tuesday on new counts that allege a broader scope of sexual exploitation with additional victims.

Vijay Kumar Lakireddy, 31, and Prasad Lakireddy, 43, both free on bond, had been scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Oakland for a status hearing on the case when Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kennedy announced the superseding 21-count indictment.

Rediff
"He Chronicles the Silicon Raj"
April 5, 2001
by Nirshan Perera and Rick Rocamora
http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/apr/05uspic8.htm

Demonstrators protest in front of the Madras Pasand Cuisine restaurant in Berkeley, owned by Lakireddy Bali Reddy.

Reddy pleaded guilty this March to charges of conspiring since 1986 to illegally bring aliens into the United States from India by submitting false visa applications. He was also charged with transporting minors in foreign commerce for sexual activity. The investigation was prompted by the death of a young Indian girl brought to the US using fraudulent immigration papers.

Pacific News Service
"Scandal Brings Out New Voices Expressing an Old Ideal"
Mar 20, 2001
by Raj Jayadev
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html? article_id=3b37218ab688e2c7afa28ff2e7454f7c

An ugly scandal involving a wealthy Indian businessman "importing" girls to work for little or no money, and to serve him sexually, seems to have come to an end with a plea of guilty to illegal immigration charges. But the remarkable effects on the Indian-American community, especially the women, will last for a long time to come.

India-West
"Reddy Pleads Guilty: Berkeley, Calif., landlord pleads guilty to importing young girls from Andhra Pradesh for sex"
Mar 16, 2001
by Viji Sundaram

In a plea deal he struck with the U.S. government, Pasand restaurant owner Lakireddy Balireddy pleaded guilty last week to importing young girls from his native village in Andhra Pradesh to the U.S. for sex, including one as young as 13.

Daily Californian
"Landlord Reddy Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges In Federal Court: Defendant Strikes Deal, Gives Up Right to Trial"
March 8, 2001
by Meredith Mandell
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=4870

OAKLAND -- Lakireddy Bali Reddy, on the brink of tears, pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally importing young Indian girls for sex in federal court.

Putting an end to a two-year federal investigation, the wealthiest landlord in Berkeley confessed to four felony charges, including conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, transporting a minor for sex and tax evasion.