Notice to Americans: Slavery has been outlawed for a few years now
A millionaire couple in New York has been convicted on charges related to keeping two slaves in their home. Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani and Varsha Mahender Sabhnani were both convicted of 12 federal counts of forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude, and harboring aliens.
The Sabhnanis apparently kept these women as slaves, paying them $100 to $150 a month, which the workers sent to their families in Indonesia. They were subjected to 18 hour work days, starvation, beatings, slashings, and other unusual forms of abuse.
The defense? The women were self-mutilators and made up the stories about abuse because they wanted to leave the house for better paying jobs. They also said the women could have escaped if they wanted to while the couple was on multiple vacations.
Unbelievable. They could receive up to 40 years in prison, but their attorneys are betting on less time.
