Aurora, CO, United States
Sarah Khonaizan and Homaidan Al-Turki brought the victim from Indonesia to cook, clean, and care for the couple's children in their home, and paid her less than $2 for her work. Al-Turki also sexually assaulted the victim. She was forced to sleep on a mattress in the basement. The victim worked seven days a week from 2000 to 2004. Al-Turki told her she would be arrested by immigration officials if she tried to leave the home. The victim was recruited to work for Khonaizan through an employment agency in Saudi Arabia in 1999. Khonaizan and her children left Saudi Arabia three months later, leaving the victim to work in relatives' homes for the next, until she joined the family again in Colorado.
Location
United States · Aurora, CO · 2008 (location generalized to protect survivors)
Response & intervention
The couple was indicted by a federal jury on charges of forced labor, document servitude, and harboring an illegal immigrant. Khonaizan pleaded guilty to harboring an illegal immigrant, and in exchange the charges of forced labor and document servitude were dropped. She received five years probation and was confined to her home until she leaves the country. Al-Turki was convicted of unlawful sexual contact by use of force or intimidation and of false imprisonment.
Michelle Hernandez, a friend of the couple, became suspicious of the situation after hearing stories from the victim. Immigration authorities then searched the home in November 2004, for suspected harboring of an illegal alien. The victim was detained when officials found her expired passport and visa hidden in a briefcase in the couple's closet.
The victim was released and lived with Hernandez while pressing charges for sexual assault.
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.