ID :
11081
Sun, 06/29/2008 - 05:31
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/11081
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Indian-American jailed for 3 years for torturing housekeepers
New York, Jun 28 (PTI) A multi-millionaire Indian American businessman, found guilty along with his wife of virtually enslaving two Indonesian housemaids, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison and fined USD 12,500.
Mahender Sabhnani, 51, was sentenced by a federal court
yesterday, a day after his wife, Varsha, 46, was jailed for 11 years and fined USD 25,000 for torturing the housemaids in a well reported case which brought out the hidden danger that aliens not conversant with English face.
Before the sentence was pronounced, Sabhnani pleaded that he be given house confinement as no one would be able to look after the couple's four children --- three daughters in 20s and one teenaged son.
Sentencing Sabhnani, judge Arthur Spatt agreed with the defence that he did not personally inflict torture, but said he must have been aware of it.
Under federal guidelines, the judge could have sentenced him to five to six years but decided on a shorter sentence. The defence lawyers said they intend to appeal the sentence.
The hearing on whether the couple's estimated USD two million home in the posh Long Island, a suburb of New York city, should be forfeited would be held on July 11. Besides, the court has to decide the back wages that the couple owes to the housemaids.
The couple was convinced in December last year on 12 counts including modern day slavery, involuntary servitude and harbouring illegal aliens.
The prosecutors argued Varsha was responsible for torture of the Indonesian women including beatings with brooms and umbrellas, slashing, scalding, forcing them to go up and down stairs several times and to take cold water showers as punishment for their perceived mistakes.
The prosecutors rebutted the defence argument that Sabhnani did not know about it, saying he would have known what was going on in his house and did nothing to stop it.
Agreeing with the prosecutors, Judge Spatt observed: "He's a success story: The immigrant who came to this country and succeeded in business. He had to know all these dreadful things and did nothing."
The judge observed that Sabhnani would have known right from the beginning that the women were in the United States illegally. As Sabhnani ran the business from his house, he would have observed the conditions of the women for lengthy period of time almost every day.
Starting from their basement, Sabhnanis built up a multi-million dollars worldwide perfume manufacturing and distribution business. Among their well known products were "Eternal Love" and "Attitude."
One of the Indonesian women testified that she was forced to eat dozens of peppers and then forced to eat her vomit.
The housemaids, identified as Samirah and Enung, are living with some Indonesians in New York and learning English to prepare themselves for living in the United States. They were not present when the sentence was pronounced.
The matter came to light when one of the women was found
loitering near a fast food restaurant wearing only pant and towel in May last year and the employees called the police. Later the authorities searched the house and found the other woman.
The women's relatives in Indonesia were paid USD 100 per month but the housemaids did not get any cash. One of the women came to their house in 2002 and the other in 2005. They alleged that Sabhnanis had confiscated their passports and they could not talk to anyone as they did not know the language.
Mahender Sabhnani, 51, was sentenced by a federal court
yesterday, a day after his wife, Varsha, 46, was jailed for 11 years and fined USD 25,000 for torturing the housemaids in a well reported case which brought out the hidden danger that aliens not conversant with English face.
Before the sentence was pronounced, Sabhnani pleaded that he be given house confinement as no one would be able to look after the couple's four children --- three daughters in 20s and one teenaged son.
Sentencing Sabhnani, judge Arthur Spatt agreed with the defence that he did not personally inflict torture, but said he must have been aware of it.
Under federal guidelines, the judge could have sentenced him to five to six years but decided on a shorter sentence. The defence lawyers said they intend to appeal the sentence.
The hearing on whether the couple's estimated USD two million home in the posh Long Island, a suburb of New York city, should be forfeited would be held on July 11. Besides, the court has to decide the back wages that the couple owes to the housemaids.
The couple was convinced in December last year on 12 counts including modern day slavery, involuntary servitude and harbouring illegal aliens.
The prosecutors argued Varsha was responsible for torture of the Indonesian women including beatings with brooms and umbrellas, slashing, scalding, forcing them to go up and down stairs several times and to take cold water showers as punishment for their perceived mistakes.
The prosecutors rebutted the defence argument that Sabhnani did not know about it, saying he would have known what was going on in his house and did nothing to stop it.
Agreeing with the prosecutors, Judge Spatt observed: "He's a success story: The immigrant who came to this country and succeeded in business. He had to know all these dreadful things and did nothing."
The judge observed that Sabhnani would have known right from the beginning that the women were in the United States illegally. As Sabhnani ran the business from his house, he would have observed the conditions of the women for lengthy period of time almost every day.
Starting from their basement, Sabhnanis built up a multi-million dollars worldwide perfume manufacturing and distribution business. Among their well known products were "Eternal Love" and "Attitude."
One of the Indonesian women testified that she was forced to eat dozens of peppers and then forced to eat her vomit.
The housemaids, identified as Samirah and Enung, are living with some Indonesians in New York and learning English to prepare themselves for living in the United States. They were not present when the sentence was pronounced.
The matter came to light when one of the women was found
loitering near a fast food restaurant wearing only pant and towel in May last year and the employees called the police. Later the authorities searched the house and found the other woman.
The women's relatives in Indonesia were paid USD 100 per month but the housemaids did not get any cash. One of the women came to their house in 2002 and the other in 2005. They alleged that Sabhnanis had confiscated their passports and they could not talk to anyone as they did not know the language.
