Enslaving Egyptian girl gets couple prison sentence

[PurrSuede 0]

SANTA ANA, California (AP) -- An Egyptian man and his ex-wife were sentenced Monday for enslaving a girl from their home country for two years while forcing her to work under harsh conditions for no pay.

Abdel-Nasser Youssef Ibrahim, 45, was sentenced to three years in prison, and his former wife, Amal Ahmed Ewis Abdel-Motelib, 43, received a 22-month sentence.

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ordered the pair to pay restitution of $76,173 to the girl, who is now 16 years old, for the work she performed.

Ibrahim and his ex-wife each pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy, holding a person in involuntary servitude through force or coercion, obtaining labor through unlawful force or coercion and harboring an illegal alien.

Prosecutors said the two will serve their sentences before being deported to Egypt for overstaying their visas.

The pair brought the girl into the United States in August 2000 when she was 10, and ordered her to clean their Orange County home and take care of their five children while she lived in squalid conditions. She also was prevented from leaving the house.

"The young victim in this case was subject to inhumane conditions that included both physical and verbal abuse." United States Attorney Debra Wong Yang said in statement.

Prosecutors said the girl received no compensation during the nearly two years that she worked for the couple. They said she was forced to sleep in the garage, had her passport taken away and was not allowed to play outside.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office investigated the case after local officials received an anonymous tip about the girl. Authorities found her in April 2002.

Ibrahim told authorities after his arrest that the girl loved living in the United States and was not being forced to work as a maid.

The girl will be allowed to remain in the United States.

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ordered the pair to pay restitution of $76,173 to the girl, who is now 16 years old, for the work she performed.

Prosecutors said the girl received no compensation during the nearly two years that she worked for the couple.

$76,173 sounds like some pretty decent back pay

[UmmSqueakster 54]

How sad that it took 2 years for someone to notice and to get her out! I hope they spend a good long time in prison!

[Veiled Princess 1]

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

yeah, but you know how that's gonna work. 76k and along comes the tax man

[Veiled Princess 1]

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

yeah, but you know how that's gonna work. 76k and along comes the tax man

pay taxes on restitution????? Thieves!

[almaty 19]

such is america

[Jenn! 918]

Settlements are tax-exempt.

ETA: *usually

Edited October 24, 2006 by jenn3539

[sparkofcreation 0]

Settlements are tax-exempt.

ETA: *usually

It's not a settlement, though; it's court-ordered restitution. Settlements are civil law, restitution is criminal law.

I don't know if restitution is taxable or not.

[Jenn! 918]

Settlements are tax-exempt.

ETA: *usually

It's not a settlement, though; it's court-ordered restitution. Settlements are civil law, restitution is criminal law.

I don't know if restitution is taxable or not.

Geez, stop pointing out that I don't know my ### from my elbow!

[sparkofcreation 0]

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ordered the pair to pay restitution of $76,173 to the girl, who is now 16 years old, for the work she performed.

Prosecutors said the girl received no compensation during the nearly two years that she worked for the couple.

$76,173 sounds like some pretty decent back pay

Depends how many hours she worked. That's about $732 per week. If you figure 80 hours per week, at 40 regular pay and 40 time and a half ... That's $7.32 per hour ($7.32 × 40 = $292.80, $7.32 × 1.5 × 40 = $439.20; $292.80+$439.20=$732).

[dalegg 143]

U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ordered the pair to pay restitution of $76,173 to the girl, who is now 16 years old, for the work she performed.

Prosecutors said the girl received no compensation during the nearly two years that she worked for the couple.

$76,173 sounds like some pretty decent back pay

Depends how many hours she worked. That's about $732 per week. If you figure 80 hours per week, at 40 regular pay and 40 time and a half ... That's $7.32 per hour ($7.32 × 40 = $292.80, $7.32 × 1.5 × 40 = $439.20; $292.80+$439.20=$732).

This was California. If she worked 80 hours OT shed go into double time at some point.

[yogib37 3]

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

it said in the article, that they will serve the jail time, then get their A$$ booted out of the USA for overstay. They will be deported. I hope they will get perm ban for life also.

So it is good

[Fandango 1,439]

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

it said in the article, that they will serve the jail time, then get their A$$ booted out of the USA for overstay. They will be deported. I hope they will get perm ban for life also.

So it is good

then there's really no way for the US to uphold the restitution, is there?

[Veiled Princess 1]

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

it said in the article, that they will serve the jail time, then get their A$$ booted out of the USA for overstay. They will be deported. I hope they will get perm ban for life also.

So it is good

Yah I read that... so they won't be able to hold another girl as a slave here but what's to stop them from doing it in their country after we give them a free plane ride home? They should spend at least 10 years in prison... oppression is worse than death

three years and 22 months? That's all????

Hope the girl is able to make a nice life here and put all that behind her eventually.... that $76K won't hurt

it said in the article, that they will serve the jail time, then get their A$$ booted out of the USA for overstay. They will be deported. I hope they will get perm ban for life also.

So it is good

then there's really no way for the US to uphold the restitution, is there?

Good point