Domestic ServitudeArchive 2008–2016

Domestic Servitude in Lakewood, Washington (2008)

A domestic servitude case from 2008 in Lakewood, Washington, United States.

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Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?

What happened

Abdenasser Ennassime, also known as Sammy, and his wife Tonya Ennassime brought their niece, Lamyaá, from Morocco to come stay with them when she was 12-years old (in September 2001). They arranged that Lamyaá would help care for the couple’s son and help with the housework, in exchange for lodging and the opportunity for good education. Instead, Lamyaá made breakfast and dinner, did the laundry, cleaned the house, and worked weekends and summers at the family espresso stand without pay. The espresso stand is called Lake City Perk. In March 2004, Sammy read Lamyaá’s diary, in which she complained about being mistreated. He then hit her, and withdrew her from school. After the incident, she was forced to work longer hours at the espresso stand, 12-14 hours at a time, and he took all her tips, which totaled about $5,000. He threatened to report her for being in the country illegally. Lamyaá was never given a house key, and her uncle took her documents and identification.

Response and intervention

Ennasime plead guilty to forced labor, and was sentenced to 240 hours of community service, three years probation, six month home detention with an electronic monitoring device, and ordered to pay $65,000 in back wages to his niece. The case was investigated by agents of the FBI, and officers of the Human Trafficking Task Force of the Atlanta Police Department. Lamyaá lived in a foster home in Federal Way, returned to school, and is applying for a trafficking victims visa to become a full U.S. citizen. Co-workers at the coffee shop helped find a lawyer for Lamyaá.

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1 sourceArchive 2008–2016

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