Alleged sadistic, slave-driving pizzeria owner now faces even more than 20 years in prison

The owner of Stash's Pizza in Dorchester and Roslindale, who had been arrested on a single count of "forced labor," which carries a maximum possible sentence of 20 years, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on seven counts of forced labor and attempted forced labor, each of which carries a possible separate sentence of 20 years, the US Attorney's office reports.

That's one count for each of the seven employees whom federal investigators have identified as bearing the brunt of Stavros Papantoniadis's alleged sadism and penury, which the feds say included not just refusing to pay workers what they were due but using beatings and intimidation to keep them from fleeing his pizza shops, which at one point included several suburban outlets as well.

He twice beat one employee so badly that the man had to have surgery on his testicles after one of the attacks and had to have all his teeth removed after the other, a Homeland Security agent writes in an affidavit laying out the case against Papantoniadis, a West Roxbury native who later moved to Westwood. Papantoniadis also repeatedly called the man - an immigrant without papers from Northern Africa - "a fucking Muslim" to his face. He punched another worker in the chest in front of other employees and would throw pens and knives at workers, the affidavit continues, adding that in one case, he called 911 in Norwood to report a worker who had just said he was quitting as a hit-and-run driver.

The feds charge Papantoniadis sought out undocumented immigrants as workers because he knew he could keep them in line, giving him an advantagein the competitive Boston-area pizza market, the US Attorney's office charges:

It is alleged that Papantoniadis' conduct enabled him to obtain a substantial financial benefit and an advantage over other businesses in the local pizza market. He could operate Stash’s Pizza with fewer and cheaper workers over whom he allegedly exercised significant control, all of which reduced his businesses' labor and operating costs.

Papantoniadis has been behind bars since his March 16 arrest. A federal magistrate judge ordered him held until the outcome of his trial because of the potential threat he posed to the workers he had allegedly terrorized.

Innocent, etc.

Indictment (1.2M PDF).