http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailgeneral.asp?fileid=20070525140752&irec=2
New violence, bribery claims in NY millionaires' slavery case CENTRAL ISLIP, New York (AP): A millionaire couple accused of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves were held in jail on Thursday amid new allegations that the women's relatives have been threatened and offered bribes to make the case go away. Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and her husband, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani,who operate a worldwide perfume business out of their Long Island home - pleaded not guilty at their arraignment on federal slavery charges. Prosecutors have called the allegations against the couple, who are U.S. citizens originally from India, "truly a case of modern-day slavery." "The defendants operated a torture house," Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko told the judge, who put the Sabhnanis' bail request on hold until a hearing May 30. "They are capable of acts of violence." Lesko and Assistant U.S. Attorney Demetri Jones announced new allegations that Varsha Sabhnani's mother, who lives in Indonesia, tried to bribe the son-in-law of one of the victims for the equivalent of $2,500 (euro1,859). Then, they said, someone else associated with her family threatened relatives ofthe other victim. Defense lawyers, who have denied that the workers were abused or held against their will, were disappointed by the new allegations but said they would be "withdrawn or proven to be false." Lesko also argued that the defendants, who each face up to 20 years in prison if convicted, are a flight risk. "They have enough money to buy a plane," he said, and if bail were granted, "We might as well drive them to the tarmac at Kennedy airport." The Sabhnanis were arrested last week after one of the servants, wearing only pants and a towel, was found wandering outside a doughnut shop. Authorities concluded she escaped the Sabhnanis' home when she took out the trash. Prosecutors said the women were beaten, scalded and forced to repeatedly climb stairs and take as many as 30 showers in three hours - all as punishment for perceived misdeeds. They said one was forced to eat 25 hot chili peppers at one time. (**)
