Meadville woman to go to trial in Mifflin County on labor trafficking charges

Meadville Tribune, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read

Oct. 1—LEWISTOWN — A Meadville woman will stand trial in Mifflin County on charges of labor trafficking and involuntary servitude involving four underage girls at a vehicle detailing shop she owns in Lewistown.

Ellen Cummings, 44, of 15554 Rogers Ferry Road, Friday waived her right to a preliminary hearing on multiple charges filed by the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

Cummings waived her right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Jack Miller and automatically was ordered held for trial on all counts.

Cummings is charged with seven counts of involuntary servitude, four counts of labor trafficking, two counts of unlawful restraint, two counts of false imprisonment involuntary servitude, three counts of nonpayment of wages, one count of attempted nonpayment of wages, and one count of conspiracy. Authorities charged Cummings with the alleged crimes in August, but said the investigation began in 2020.

Police allege Cummings employed but didn't pay the four girls — ages 15, 16, 17 and 18 — for work they did from February 2019 and October 2020 at Tip Top Resources/Go2Detailing, according to the arrest affidavit.

Cummings ran the business with her boyfriend, Scott Mogel, who now is deceased, according to the affidavit.

The investigation by state police and the attorney general's office found Cummings and Mogel had forced minors, including two foster children in their care from Meadville as well as Cummings' own daughter, to work at their business without being compensated.

Police allege two of the girls were forced to work at the business, forced to live at the business where they slept on air mattresses and that their movements were restricted.

Cummings remains lodged in the Mifflin County Correctional Facility in lieu of $250,000 bond. She faces formal arraignment on the charges in Mifflin County Court of Common Pleas Nov. 22.