Page 11 - IAV Digital Magazine #464

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Woman Accused of Holding Housekeeper Captive, Forcing Her Into Marriage
By Natalie Musumeci
A New Jersey woman held her Sri Lankan housekeeper against her will for nearly a decade, forcing the victim to marry her and work without pay as a domestic ser- vant, federal authorities said Wednesday.
Alia Imad Faleh Al Hunaity, who also goes by Alia Al Qaterneh, of Secaucus, was indicted last week in the case on charges of forced labor, alien harboring and marriage fraud.
Hunaity, 43, pleaded not
guilty to the charges in Camden federal court on Wednesday and she was released on $150,000 bond, according to the office of New Jersey’s US Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Prosecutors
charge that Hunaity brought the victim to the US on a tempo- rary visa in 2009 to perform domestic servic- es.
Hunaity caused the Sri Lankan national to over- stay her visa and the victim remained in the
US illegally, liv- ing with Hunaity for more than nine years, fed- eral authorities say.
During that peri- od, Hunaity forced the vic- tim to work with- out pay “by means of threats of seri- ous harm” and
“threatened abuse of law and legal process,” according to an indictment.
Hunaity, accord- ing to prosecu- tors, also limited the victim’s interaction with the outside world.
On April 11 of this year, Hunaity made the victim marry her for the pur- pose of obtain- ing legal resi- dence for the victim so that she could con- tinue to work for Hunaity without being paid, the court papers say.
Authorities bust- ed Hunaity on Sept. 19.
Hunaity faces up to 30 years behind bars. The forced labor charge carries a maxi- mum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Hunaity also faces a fine of $250,000.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine