May 25, 2007
James Bone in New York
A “monstrous” multimillionaire couple who run a world-wide perfume business were indicted on federal slavery charges after a battered domestic servant escaped from their mansion on the “Gold Coast” of Long Island, New York.
Immigration agents raided the couple’s home in Mutton-town suburb when their Indonesian-born maid was found wandering half-naked at a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in nearby Syosset.
The maid, identified as Samirah, aged 51, showed the manager her expired Indonesia passport and sobbed: “Home, I want to go home.” Asked where she lived, she pointed towards the couple’s home and said “Master,” making a gesture as though she was getting slapped. At the house immigration agents found a second servant, identified as “Nona”, aged 46, also Indonesian.
Prosecutors allege the two maids suffered harsh punishment over a five-year period for perceived misdeeds such as taking food or being unable to find an article of clothing.
The arrest warrant says Samirah was forced to take as many as 30 ice-cold showers in a row, run up and down a flight of stairs 150 times as fast as she could, and eat at least 25 “extremely hot chilli peppers at one time”.
Punishment was meted out in the laundry room or bathroom with “a rolling pin, bamboo stick and a broomstick”. Samirah “bears highly visible scars that appear to be permanent over much of her body” including “deep, open knife wounds behind her ears”, court papers say.
She showed investigators “a door stained with [her] blood that was the result of an injury sustained during a beating”.
“The conduct the defendants committed is monstrous,” said Demetri Jones, an assistant US attorney.
“It’s truly a case of modern-day slavery. No one would ever think that human beings were being brought into the United States and held for slave labour, and beaten, and tortured in a beautiful mansion right here in one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods on Long Island,” he said.
The maids’ ordeal allegedly began when they were brought to the United States in 2002 to do housework for Indonesian-born Varsha Sabhnani, 45, and her Indian-born husband, Mahender Sabhnani, 51, both US citizens.
The two servants slept on mats in the kitchen and were forced to work up to 21 hours a day, seven days a week, from 4am to 1am, prosecutors say, and were fed so little that they resorted to hiding morsels above a ceiling panel.
When strangers came to the home they were ordered to hide in the basement or a garage, they said. They were allowed to take out the rubbish only at night.
The maids were promised $200 a month in pay but Samirah told authorities that she later learnt that the Sabhnanis sent only half the amount to her daughter in Indonesia. It was not clear if Nona received any money. Both had US visas that had long expired.
Mrs Sabhnani, described by officials as the maids’ main tormentor, and her husband were indicted on Wednesday on two federal counts of forced labour and two counts of harbouring illegal residents. It has also been reported that officials are investigating whether any role was played by the couple’s four children.
Their daughter, Pooja, 22, lists a Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland film titled Human Trafficking as one of her favourites on her Friendster web page. The case, being prosecuted under a federal antislavery statute, has prompted New York lawmakers to agree to tighten the state’s antitrafficking laws.
A lawyer for the couple, who distribute perfumes such as the popular Royal Mirage brand, said they would fight the charges. Charles Ross, representing Mr Sabhnani, said the couple had been out of the country for up to ten months at a time, giving the alleged victims plenty of chance to leave the house if they wanted.
“This is not a human trafficking ring. My client wants to clear his name,” he said.
A judge set $3.5 million (£1.7 million) bail. Friends vowed to raise the money to free them. The maids were moved into the care of Roman Catholic charities.
Immigration agents raided the couple’s home in Mutton-town suburb when their Indonesian-born maid was found wandering half-naked at a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in nearby Syosset.
The maid, identified as Samirah, aged 51, showed the manager her expired Indonesia passport and sobbed: “Home, I want to go home.” Asked where she lived, she pointed towards the couple’s home and said “Master,” making a gesture as though she was getting slapped. At the house immigration agents found a second servant, identified as “Nona”, aged 46, also Indonesian.
Prosecutors allege the two maids suffered harsh punishment over a five-year period for perceived misdeeds such as taking food or being unable to find an article of clothing.
The arrest warrant says Samirah was forced to take as many as 30 ice-cold showers in a row, run up and down a flight of stairs 150 times as fast as she could, and eat at least 25 “extremely hot chilli peppers at one time”.
Punishment was meted out in the laundry room or bathroom with “a rolling pin, bamboo stick and a broomstick”. Samirah “bears highly visible scars that appear to be permanent over much of her body” including “deep, open knife wounds behind her ears”, court papers say.
She showed investigators “a door stained with [her] blood that was the result of an injury sustained during a beating”.
“The conduct the defendants committed is monstrous,” said Demetri Jones, an assistant US attorney.
“It’s truly a case of modern-day slavery. No one would ever think that human beings were being brought into the United States and held for slave labour, and beaten, and tortured in a beautiful mansion right here in one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods on Long Island,” he said.
The maids’ ordeal allegedly began when they were brought to the United States in 2002 to do housework for Indonesian-born Varsha Sabhnani, 45, and her Indian-born husband, Mahender Sabhnani, 51, both US citizens.
The two servants slept on mats in the kitchen and were forced to work up to 21 hours a day, seven days a week, from 4am to 1am, prosecutors say, and were fed so little that they resorted to hiding morsels above a ceiling panel.
When strangers came to the home they were ordered to hide in the basement or a garage, they said. They were allowed to take out the rubbish only at night.
The maids were promised $200 a month in pay but Samirah told authorities that she later learnt that the Sabhnanis sent only half the amount to her daughter in Indonesia. It was not clear if Nona received any money. Both had US visas that had long expired.
Mrs Sabhnani, described by officials as the maids’ main tormentor, and her husband were indicted on Wednesday on two federal counts of forced labour and two counts of harbouring illegal residents. It has also been reported that officials are investigating whether any role was played by the couple’s four children.
Their daughter, Pooja, 22, lists a Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland film titled Human Trafficking as one of her favourites on her Friendster web page. The case, being prosecuted under a federal antislavery statute, has prompted New York lawmakers to agree to tighten the state’s antitrafficking laws.
A lawyer for the couple, who distribute perfumes such as the popular Royal Mirage brand, said they would fight the charges. Charles Ross, representing Mr Sabhnani, said the couple had been out of the country for up to ten months at a time, giving the alleged victims plenty of chance to leave the house if they wanted.
“This is not a human trafficking ring. My client wants to clear his name,” he said.
A judge set $3.5 million (£1.7 million) bail. Friends vowed to raise the money to free them. The maids were moved into the care of Roman Catholic charities.
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