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