Complaining about the conditions resulted in punishment: lack of food, physical abuse, detainment or deportation.
Upon arrival to the island, Lee charged exorbitant fines for their immigration card and detained their passports so they could not leave the country or find another employer.
The day the back payments were made, Lee demanded the workers sign the checks over to him, which he placed in his personal account.
Lee ordered his factory manager, Elekana Nuu'Uli Ioane to "beat [workers] up and send them home" if they were not working as quickly as necessary.
The FBI secured a warrant on March 23, 2001 and arrested Lee in American Samoa for involuntary servitude and forced labor; he was escorted directly to the District of Hawaii.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury for 22 counts including involuntary servitude, extortion, money laundering, false financial reporting and bribery of a bank official.