The Associated Press , New York
| Fri, 06/27/2008 11:54 AM | World
A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian
housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her suburban Long Island,
New York, mansion was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison.
Varsha Sabhnani, 46, who is also from Indonesia, was convicted
with her Indian-born husband in December on a 12-count federal
indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary
servitude and harboring aliens.
The trial provided a glimpse into a growing U.S. problem of
domestic workers exploited in slave-like conditions.
The victims testified that they were beaten with brooms and
umbrellas, slashed with knives, and forced to climb stairs and take
freezing showers as punishment.
One victim was forced to eat dozens of chili peppers against her
will, and then was forced to eat her own vomit when she could not
keep the peppers down, prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Arthur Spatt called the testimony "eye-
opening, to say the least - that things like that go on in our
country."
"In her arrogance, she treated Samirah and Enung as less than
people," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones. "Justice for
the victims: That's what the government is asking for."
Federal sentencing guidelines had recommended a range of 12 to
15 years in prison for Sabhnani, who was identified as the one who
inflicted the abuse. In addition to prison, she will serve three
years' probation and was fined US$25,000.
"I just want to say that I love my children very much," the
defendant told the court as two of her grown children looked
on.
"I was brought to this Earth to help people who are in
need."
Maheder Sabhnani, 51, who is free on bail while awaiting his own
Friday sentencing, wept as he watched his wife's punishment
pronounced.
He was charged with the same crimes because he allowed the
conduct to take place and benefited from the work the women
performed in his home, prosecutors said. He is expected to receive
a much shorter prison term.
Prosecutors contended the accusations amounted to a "modern- day
slavery" case. They said the maids were subjected to "punishment
that escalated into a cruel form of torture," which ended in May
2007, when one of the women fled. She wandered into a doughnut shop
wearing nothing but rags, and employees called police.
"This did not happen in the 1800s," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark
Lesko said during the trial. "This happened in the 21st century.
This happened in Muttontown, New York."
The women, whose relatives in Indonesia were paid about $100 a
month and who received to payment themselves -- said they were
tortured and beaten for sleeping late or stealing food from trash
bins because they were poorly fed. Both women also said they were
forced to sleep on mats in the kitchen.
Spatt postponed a decision on the amount of back wages owed to
the women. Prosecutors suggested the women were due more than $1.1
million, while defense attorneys said the figure should be much
lower. The couple also face fines and could be forced to forfeit
their home, which is valued at almost $2 million.
Mahender Sabhnani ran a lucrative international perfume business
out of a home office.
One of the women arrived in the Sabhnanis' Muttontown home in
2002; the second in 2005. Their passports and other travel
documents were immediately confiscated by the Sabhnanis, the women
testified.
The defense, which intends to appeal, contended the two women
concocted the story as a way of escaping the house for more
lucrative opportunities. They also argued the housekeepers
practiced witchcraft and may have abused themselves as part of a
self-mutilation ritual.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Hoffman said 175 letters were submitted
to the court detailing Sabhnani's charitable acts around the world.
He called her "a woman who spent a lifetime doing good deeds."
Hoffman said that around 2004 or 2005, Sabhnani's weight
plummeted from 325 pounds to 135. "She did it by starving herself,"
and that resulted in a chemical imbalance and significant
malnourishment. "She had become a very different person."
"I think it's very harsh," Hoffman said after the
sentencing.
"She has suffered dramatically." (****)
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/06/27/ny-millionaire-gets-prison-enslaving-indonesian-workers-her-mansion.html
