May 16, 2008 3:41 pm US/Eastern
Hearing Set In N.Y. Slave Labor Case
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) ―
A federal judge has ordered a hearing into reports that a man convicted with his wife in a notorious modern-day slavery case may have violated his bail agreement by staying out past midnight while he awaits sentencing.
"The court has been advised ... that the defendant Mahender Sabhnani has been out at night until 1:06 a.m., 1:57 a.m. and 2:30 a.m.," U.S. District Court Judge Arthur Spatt said Friday. He scheduled a Monday hearing to investigate "the nature of these late night sojourns."
Sabhnani, 51, and his wife, Varsha, 45, were convicted in December of all charges in a 12-count indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.
Prosecutors said the Sabhnanis forced two poorly educated Indonesian housekeepers to work 18 or more hours a day in their Muttontown mansion for little food or money. One of the women testified she was forced to eat dozens of chili peppers, and then eat her vomit when she couldn't keep them down.
She also said she was scalded, stabbed and made to take freezing showers -- all for perceived transgressions, including stealing food from trash cans because she was so hungry.
During their trial, the Sabhnanis had been free on a $4.5 million bail package that included strict conditions of house arrest featuring armed security guards -- paid for by the couple.
After their conviction, Spatt revoked Varsha Sabhnani's bail, ruling that she had been the one who inflicted the physical punishment on the housekeepers. Mahender was permitted to remain free, in part to allow him to make arrangements for the care of the couple's four children, who are in their teens and early 20s.
Prosecutors said he was charged with the same crimes as his wife because he allowed the conduct to take place and benefited from the work the women performed in his 5,898-square-foot Muttontown home on Long Island's Gold Coast.
Mahender Sabhnani's defense attorney said Friday that his client was permitted to leave his home "under certain circumstances, which I believe includes going out to dinner."
Stephen Scaring said he was sure his client was accompanied by security personnel whenever he left home. "There may have been some confusion about the length of time he could stay out," Scaring said. "I know he is supposed to be in by midnight."
The Sabhnanis could face up to 20 years in prison when they are sentenced. Varsha Sabhnani is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26, and her husband will be sentenced the following day in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.
Defense attorneys have said they intend to appeal the convictions.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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