10th February, 2016
A Nigerian couple based in Houston-area, Texas accused of enslaving a Nigerian woman to care for their five children and home without pay have been granted a bond by a Federal magistrate judge.
Apart from not paying their nanny for two years, Chuddy and Sandra Nsobundu also seized the passport of the nanny, who has not been identified.
Chudy Nsobundu of Katy appeared in federal court Tuesday in Houston after he and his wife, Sandra Nsobundu, were arrested a day earlier on charges of forced labor, withholding documents, conspiracy to harbor an illegal immigrant and visa fraud.
Chudy Nsobundu was granted a $5,000 bond. His wife was given an unsecured bond.
Chudy Nsobundu was asked by the judge to hire an attorney after he didn’t qualify for a court-appointed lawyer.
A criminal complaint says the 38-year-old nanny was rescued last October following a tip to an anti-human trafficking group.
READ: Nigerian couple jailed for keeping man as slave for 24 years
The nanny said she was promised $100 per month but has never been paid in her two years in the U.S. She told investigators that the couple physically and verbally abused her.
She was rescued last October following a tip to an anti-human trafficking group.
In a report by Mail Online, the Nigerian nanny said she was forced to work from 5:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day. She was made to clean, cook, and care for the children.
The nanny also alleges the family did not allow her to eat fresh food and that she was only allowed to eat leftovers from the family’s meals. The family initially promised her a $100 per month salary which she says they never gave her.
If she wanted milk for her tea, the nanny said she would have to strain milk from the children’s cereal bowls.
The employee said she was severely abused in the home and was once even dragged down the hallway by her hair.
She also said she was hit by the couple several times and that they threatened to kill her.
After a tip to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the alleged victim was rescued on October of last year. The Nigerian couple faces up to 60 years in jail, if found guilty.