Algona, Washington, United States

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 5 South King County residents on federal charges for conspiring to enslave a 16 year-old Afghan immigrant girl. Those arrested were: Mohammed Atahee, 37 Nasima Yousufi, 70 Mohammad Yousufi, 84 Nahid Yousufi, 29 Maruf Yousufi, 42 The teen was forced to cook, clean, and do laundry for Atahee and the Yousufis, a federal grand jury indictment says. During the same period, the Yousufis required her to perform all the household chores and care for their children at 28004 33rd Ave. S., Auburn. Nahid Yousufi threatened the girl, called "JVI" in court documents, with arrest and deportation if she failed to live with Atahee or work for the Yousufis. On January 26, 2008, Atahee raped the girl, court documents say. Prosecutors accuse Nasima Yousifi and Nahid Yousifi of causing a marriage to take place between the girl - then 13 in Afghanistan and Atahee, then 33, in the summer of 2005. Because the marriage was not recognized by U.S. authorities, Nasima Yousufi allegedly told U.S. Embassy officials in Pakistan that the girl was the biological daughter of Nasima - then 66 years old - in order to obtain a visa for her. If found guilty, the defendants face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Location

United States · Algona, Washington · 2008 (location generalized to protect survivors)

Response & intervention

Both in 2006 and 2008 police were involved as described above. I.C.E. agents made the arrest of the 5 residents on October 15, 2008. The girl, "JVI",reported to Federal Way police that Atahee had assaulted her on August 6, 2006. The next day, Nahid Yousufi threatened her with deportation and harm to JVI's family to coerce her to recant the statement to the police about the assault. Thus the charges were dropped. On January 26, 2008, Atahee raped the girl, She reported the rape to Federal Way police. Nahid lied to CPS, saying that the girl was 24 years old, in an atempt to cause the girl to be returned to Atahee, the indictment says. Since themn the girl has been living in a safe location said Asst. U.S. Attorney Ye-Ting Woo. She is living at a safe house. No other services were detailed in the article. Information is from an October 16, 2008 newspaper article of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The article is titled "5 accused of enslaving girl: Afghan immigrant wed at age 13".

Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don't have a verifiable source on file yet — use “Report a problem” below to add one.

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