Tag: Long Island

Sabhnani defense: The Indonesian is mentally ill and someone else burned her

 

Defense attorneys for a Muttontown couple accused of enslaving two Indonesian women they hired as housekeepers filed a court brief late yesterday arguing that one of the women, who officials said had been tortured, had most likely inflicted the wounds on herself.

‘Slave’ suspects: Woman hurt self – Newsday.com

 

So here we have some explanation, by the defense, of how “Jane Doe 1” (one of the Indonesian woman allegedly enslaved and tortured by the defendants) got her injuries:

  • She hurt herself,
  • And there’s another person, from Jakarta (that’s the capital city of Indonesia), which we didn’t know about until now.

All allegations are denied by the defendants, and the pre-trial hearings continue.

Posted on by Perry Ismangil

Bail denied for Sabhnani couple, jailed until trial

Courtesy of PACER, I have learned that the Sabhnani couple, charged with several counts of federal felony statutes, has been denied bail. The judge said that they were a significant flight risk, therefore various proposals for house arrest were rejected (the prosecution has always maintained that no bail should be given). You can read in full the Sabhnani Detention Order.

I must admit I am very impressed by the swift and firm US justice system. Of course we all hear how good law and order in the US, but to see it in action (and not just through TV shows 🙂 ) is something else.

Posted on by Perry Ismangil

No bail as yet and even more charges for Sabhnani couple

The affluent Muttontown couple accused of enslaving two Indonesian women will have to wait at least until Monday to determine whether a federal judge will release them on bail to home detention.

Source: No bail yet for couple accused in slave case – Newsday.com

I keep following with interest this case, and being curious how much I can get access to details, I tried to see whether you can see court documents on the web.

Enter PACER. You have to pay if you access scanned documents, but they won’t start charging until you reach US$10, and at 8 cents a page, that will be quite a lot of pages…

Posted on by Perry Ismangil

U.S. Federal charges for trafficking and enslaving Indonesian citizens

Federal prosecutors charged a wealthy Long Island couple on Tuesday with keeping two Indonesian domestic workers as virtual prisoners in their home for more than five years under conditions they called “modern-day slavery,” beating one severely and paying them very little.

Source: Couple Held Two Servants Captive for Years, U.S. Says – New York Times

Caught this story making the headlines in Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia version: Dua Pembantu Asal Indonesia Disiksa Majikan di New York). It is very good to know that the “Law and Order” in New York works very swiftly indeed.

The case comes to light in Sunday morning and by Tuesday the couple were already arrested and charged under federal law (which from my little understanding of U.S legal system is very serious indeed).

I wonder if the arresting detective sounds anything like Detective Briscoe? (I know, I know, this is not a homicide).

Posted on by Perry Ismangil