A Houston couple was arrested after their 38-year old Nigerian nanny escaped and called the human trafficking hotline. The nanny was alleged to have been forced into slavery for two years without pay, serving the couple and their five adopted children, and having been subjected to physical and verbal abuse.
According to a press release of the U.S. Department of Justice, as reported in The Daily Beast, the Nigerian woman suffered from bizarre abuse while living with the couple. She was not allowed to wash her hair and was made to strain milk from leftover cereal to be used for her tea.
At one point, the wife, dragged the nanny by the hair when she was scolded due to an improper way of carrying the baby. She was also beaten because she made one child wear the wrong pair of socks.
The nanny also experienced being slapped with a slipper on the face. Whatever bruises she sustained, she was said to have been denied access to adequate medical treatment.
The Nsobundus - Chudy, 56, and Sandra, 50, were charged with forced labor. They were also charged with visa fraud and withholding documents. The Nigerian-born couple, who became naturalized American citizens, allegedly took advantage of the lack of education of the nanny. Houston Press reported that in the complaint, the nanny only attained grade-school level education and was made to believe by the Nsobundus that she will take care of their children, the reason why she signed a five-year contract with them.
It was also alleged in the complaint that the only possession the nanny was allowed was a copy of her Bible. She was also made to throw her clothes away. She toiled for 20 hours and was not allowed to sit or to watch television.
Wayne Heller, the Nsobundus' lawyer, he was shocked by the accusations hurled by the nanny against his clients. He said, "What a strange set of new allegations."
In defense of the Nsobundus, Heller added, "Let me say this about Chudy, he's a very religious man. He's active in his church." He also mentioned that his client had "never been in any sort of trouble in his entire life."
