labor lawAdivision of labor law center

 A deputy sheriff in Georgia, his father – who is a former judge – and his wife have been indicted for slavery in an explosive employment case.

 

The accused 43-year-old man is a Forsyth County Sheriff’s Deputy. His 42-year-old wife and 72-year old father have all been charged by a federal grand jury. The charges include human trafficking, witness tampering, making false statements and harboring an alien, according to US Attorney David Nahmias.

 

Prosecutors contend that the Georgia couple hired a nanny from India in early 2003. Once the woman was in this country,  they stopped paying her and threatened to lock her up if she quit working for them. They held her for 18 months. The woman, alone and unable to contact friends and family in India, apparently believed the couple because of the man’s position as a Deputy and his father’s status as a former judge.

 

If these allegations are true, they are violations of both the Georgia and federal minimum wage laws. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $5.85 per hour, although during the woman’s tenure with the couple it was $5.15 per hour.

 

“This case is an example of alleged domestic servitude of a nanny brought over from India,” according to US Attorney David Nahmias. “This type of abuse is insidious, as it preys on those who are vulnerable due to their immigration status and unfamiliarity with the United States legal system.”

 

The grand jury indictments allege that the couple insulted the victim, intimidated her, and threatened her with jail and deportation if she did not comply with their unreasonable demands.

 

Because the trio has only been charged, not found guilty, it’s out policy not to release their names. All three contend that this is a simple misunderstanding.  Nahmias disagrees, “Not paying someone for their hard work and then threatening them with deportation if they report such abuse is a violation of civil rights law.”

 

The victim was virtually a prisoner in the household until a neighbor helped her escape in June 2005. The deputy and former judge are also accused of lying on State Department documents to try to secure a visa for the victim, and trying to use their status in law enforcement as leverage in the case. The wife is accused of lying to the Department of Homeland Security when she urged them to investigate the woman as a terrorist after the story surfaced.

 

The deputy, who was formerly on Court Services duty, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation according to Forsythe County officials. If found guilty, the trio faces up to 60 years in jail.

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