Woman Sentenced To 11 Years For Keeping Slaves

June 27. 2008

Varsha Sabhnani

A woman in New York, Varsha Sabhnani, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for keeping two modern day slaves in her home and abusing them.

They were harassed, terrorized and assaulted, until one made an escape to a local store, where an employee called the police.

NY millionaire gets prison for enslaving workers

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — A millionaire who inflicted years of abuse on two Indonesian housekeepers held as virtual slaves in her Long Island mansion was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison.

Varsha Sabhnani, 46, was convicted with her 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.

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