Saudi man nabbed for enslaving maid

Saudi man nabbed for enslaving maid

U.S.: A Saudi Arabian man accused of enslaving an Indonesian
woman and forcing her to have sex was ordered held without bail
on Monday, after federal prosecutors said there was a good chance
he would flee to his native country.

Federal Magistrate Michael Watanabe said Homaidan Al-Turki is
facing serious charges and has little reason to stay in this
country.

Al-Turki's attorneys said their client has family in Colorado
and was performing valuable student research on Arab dialects
that could help protect the U.S. from terrorist attacks.

Al-Turki, 36, and his wife, Sarah Khonaizan, 35, were indicted
by a federal grand jury last month on charges of forced labor,
document servitude and harboring an illegal immigrant. Al-Turki
also faces state charges including kidnapping, false imprisonment
and extortion, as well as 12 charges of sexual assault. They
could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

According to an affidavit from FBI special agent Jon Bibik,
the Indonesian woman told investigators she baby-sat, cooked and
cleaned seven days a week with no regular days off from 2000 to
2004 while living with Al-Turki's family in suburban Aurora.

The affidavit claims that when she was not working, the woman
was confined to an unheated basement where she slept on a
mattress on the concrete floor and was repeatedly sexually
assaulted by Al-Turki. She was paid the equivalent of less than
US$2 a day, the affidavit alleged.

Khonaizan was released last month on $25,000 bail but was
ordered to undergo electronic monitoring and surrender her
passport. -- AP