Zeferino Rangel
FARGO (KFGO) – In April of 2020, Jamestown Police issued a warning to the public about a violent, high-risk sex offender who was living in the community. Not long after that, the offender, 52-year-old Zeferino Carlos Rangel, was hired by the local Subway sandwich shop in Jamestown to work as a supervisor on the closing shift.
Two years later, a 17-year-old high school student was hired to work at the store under the supervision of Rangel. Over the course of the next six months, a new case filed in federal court claims, Rangel repeatedly raped the girl, got her addicted to cocaine and crystal meth, and threatened to kill members of her family if she refused him.
Rangel was arrested after the girl told her high school principal about the sexual abuse in November of 2022. In his mugshot he is wearing his Subway-issued work shirt. He eventually pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On Thursday, the victim, now 18-years-old, living in Fargo, and identified otherwise only as C.S. in court documents, filed suit against Subway Worldwide and its corporate affiliates as well as its franchisees – GRB Investments and Midwest Subway Development, which run over 60 Subway restaurants in North Dakota.
There are eight counts alleged against the corporate defendants in the case, including sex trafficking, negligent hiring, retention, and supervision, and sexual assault.
The case claims the corporate defendants are responsible for “unspeakable harm Plaintiff suffered and continues to suffer because it was due to their actions and inactions that Plaintiff’s rapist was hired despite being a known, registered sex offender recently released from prison with a conviction record of violence and of sexually assaulting children.”
The complaint says Subway is guilty of a “pattern and practice” of turning a blind eye to sexual misconduct. It notes that Subway has a history and habit of hiring and promoting sexual predators who use their positions to coerce and abuse young and vulnerable employees. Notably, former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle was sentenced in 2015 to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of traveling to have sex with a minor and child pornography.
“Plaintiff’s experience…is illustrative of Subway’s systemic sexual harassment history. Rather than protect child workers, Subway franchise owners and general managers…knowingly stood by and allowed the violent threats, assault, rape, and trafficking to continue unabated,” the complaint reads.
The suit claims that while the plaintiff frequently worked alone with Rangel, there were two other employees who sometimes worked with them who were also registered sex offenders. The plaintiff requested to be reassigned at one point, saying she was uncomfortable working at the store, but the local general manager ignored her request.
When the plaintiff finally resigned after law enforcement became involved, Subway refused to issue her final paycheck, saying she’d failed to turn in her work shirt. This was, the complaint alleges, despite the fact the defendants were aware that the shirt was in police custody as evidence of Rangel’s crimes in the case.
The complaint says the plaintiff was also expelled from school for missing too many days, some of which she missed because she had to attend court hearings as a victim and anticipated witness against Rangel.
Earlier this month, Rangel appealed his 25-year sentence to the North Dakota Supreme Court, claiming the length of the sentence was unnecessarily harsh.
The plaintiff is seeking a jury trial in the case and monetary damages in excess of $50 million.
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