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Note: The following press releases are an exact quote:
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http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/November/04_crt_759.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2004
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

CRT
(202) 514-2008
TDD (202) 514-1888

WOMAN FOUND GUILTY OF CONSPIRACY, HARBORING
A DOMESTIC WORKER FOR FINANCIAL GAIN

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Justice Department announced today that a jury in Greenbelt, Maryland convicted a Nigerian national of harboring a young girl from Nigeria for financial gain and for conspiring with her then-husband to hold the girl in involuntary servitude.

According to the evidence produced at the month-long trial, George Udeozor brought the girl to the United States illegally in 1996 at age 14. Once in the United States, the girl took care of the defendant’s children and performed all household chores without pay until October 2001.

“Harboring another human being for financial gain is morally reprehensible,” said Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta. “That modern day slavery persists is unconscionable and the Justice Department is committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who would perpetrate these crimes.”

The defendant, Adaobi Stella Udeozor, 45, is a Germantown physician. The jury also convicted her of conspiracy but acquitted her of actually holding the girl in involuntary servitude. George Udeozor, charged with the same offenses, is a fugitive in Nigeria and did not stand trial.

Sentencing is scheduled to occur on February 4, 2005. Udeozor faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, three years supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Udeozor could also be ordered to make restitution to the victim.

Since 2001, the Department of Justice has undertaken a significant effort to combat human trafficking. From FY 2001 through FY 2003, the Department charged 111 defendants in 32 human trafficking prosecutions, nearly triple the 43 defendants in 11 prosecutions brought over the prior three-year period. During FY 2004, the Department set new records for prosecuting human traffickers, bringing charges against 47 human trafficking defendants in 26 cases, as compared to five defendants in three cases in FY 2000.

This case was investigated by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Office in Greenbelt, Maryland.

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04-759
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http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/November/04_crt_758.htm

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2004
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

CRT
(202) 514-2008
TDD (202) 514-1888

WOMAN CONVICTED OF HOLDING A DOMESTIC WORKER
IN INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Justice Department today announced that a jury in Greenbelt, Maryland convicted a Cameroonian national of holding a young girl from Cameroon in involuntary servitude and of harboring her for financial gain. The defendant, Theresa Mubang, is a permanent resident alien of the United States.

According to the evidence produced at trial, between November 1996 and December 1998 Mubang forced the girl to work against her will as a domestic servant after she was brought into the United States illegally and under false pretenses. Once in the United States, the girl was forced to take care of the defendant’s two children and performed all household chores without pay. The defendant forced the victim to comply by beating her with a broken metal broom stick and a cable cord, forbidding her from speaking of the conditions to anyone, forbidding her from leaving the house or opening the door to anyone, and by interfering with the victim's mail.

"Forced labor and involuntary servitude is nothing less than modern-day slavery," said Assistant Attorney General R. Alexander Acosta. "The Justice Department will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those who traffic in human beings."

Sentencing is scheduled to occur on February 28, 2005. Mubang faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment, three years supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Mubang could also be ordered to make restitution to the victim.

Since 2001, the Justice Department has undertaken a significant effort to combat human trafficking. From FY 2001 through FY 2003, the Department charged 111 defendants in 32 human trafficking prosecutions, nearly triple the 43 defendants in 11 prosecutions brought over the prior three-year period. During FY 2004, the Department set new records for prosecuting human traffickers, bringing charges against 47 human trafficking defendants in 26 cases as compared to five defendants in three cases in FY 2000.

This case was investigated by agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and the United States Attorney’s Office in Greenbelt, Maryland.

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04-758