Maids and other domestic help have always faced a host of problems when it comes to their employment rights. These problems range from separation from their children, heartache and in some cases, abuse and exploitation.
In many countries, they are not respected as individuals.
But slavery in America?
A New York woman, millionaire and socialite Annie George is on trial and facing federal criminal charges for allegedly keeping a domestic servant in a "forced labor situation" within her 30,000-square-foot Llenroc mansion in Rexford.
Less than a week after a federal judge dismissed the case against George, she has been re-indicted.
According to CBS 6 in Albany, the slave, Valsamma Mathai, 49, was kept at George's estate against her will for six-and-a-half years. During her time in upstate New York, the undocumented illegal immigrant is testifying that she was forced to work seven days a week, for more than 12 hours a day.
George's 34-room property has an indoor swimming pool, 15 fireplaces, a helicopter pad, glass elevator and 24-karat gold ceilings. You would think with so much extravagance and space that George would provide ample accommodations for her help, but that wasn't the case. Mathai had to sleep in a walk-in closet.
<a href="http://firsttoknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/annie-george-mansion.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-25566" title="annie george mansion" src="http://firsttoknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/annie-george-mansion.jpg" alt="" width="445" height="300" /></a>
She was required to slumber in the small space in a bedroom shared by George's three daughters because she apparently needed to be near the children at night.
Mathai told federal agents that while at the 12-acre estate, she received no sick or personal time and never offered medical treatment.
She worked for Annie George and her late husband (who died in a plane crash in 2009). Before his death, the husband offered Mathai a job and promised to pay her $1,000 a week for her work — but didn't. Once the family realized she was in the states without a passport, they decided to exploit her.
Mathai's dilemma was brought to light soon after her son tipped off authorities.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center then contacted federal immigration agents last year about the issue and they took action. Investigators have determined that the woman, who barely spoke English, came from India and was only paid 85 cents an hour during her 67 month stint in captivity, which totaled a mere $29,000.
George has been charged with Harboring an Illegal Alien for Financial Gain with Forfeiture Allegeation, a felony, which has a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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Hey, it’s what some people want. She’s being paid what the market will bear. It’s trickle down economics at its trickiest.
85 cents an hour is not what the market will bear. The LAW requires minimum wage. PERIOD!!!
Cohesion is not part of the free market.
Being illegal in our country has consequences. And that whe shared a bedroom with three children was a horrible thing? It wasn’t so horrible for the three children, now was it? This is so stupid. Deport her.
Deport you! And the woman who has more money than moral character.
you’re a cunt!
You are an embarrassment. Your language is horrendous . Having a slave is just wrong.
Yeah, and you can go f’ yourself, too.
This woman did NOT come to the US illegally! She was working for one family and that original family had signed for her visa. When she left their employment, the guy who hired her, the husband of this woman, did NOT fill out the paperwork for her visa and she BECAME an illegal because the guy didn’t fill out the paperwork! Instead, HE decided to exploit her situation and keep her without paying her a lot of money! THEN he died and his wife was left to pick up the pieces. However, he ALSO left his wife with tremendous debts related to his businesses. Several of his hotels were in foreclosure! So please don’t JUDGE this woman because of her immigration status. Initially, it was NOT her fault! This guy didn’t fill out the paperwork, waited until she couldn’t do anything about it and then told her that since he hadn’t submitted the paperwork, she was now an illegal and had to do what he wanted!
A country is judged not by what its citizens do to the protected. But by what its citizens do to the vulnerable. I’m ashamed if this is true.
Hindu’s(immigrants from the nation of India) do this all the time. Look at most of the Hindu owned motels. You usually have one Hindu who owns a bunch of them, then staffs them with only live in Hindu’s whom are paid off the books.
They even use that type of situation to screw around with their “employees” wages. Heck The Drums Econolodge in Luzerne county Pennsylvania is owned by a Indian(Hindu) American who has two live in staff that are paid under the table. This guy owns liquor stores in New Jersey and motels in New Jersey and New York so I wouldn’t be surprised if he pays his employees under the table.
I remember one of the employees complained that he was shorting him routinely. Since it was all under the table he couldn’t file a complaint(because of the back taxes owed by the employee too).
If you examined many wealthy Indian(Hindu) Americans you would see horrors like these are far more common.
KW you must be a christian. Remember what the anointed sone of a single mother said dont throw the stones if you have not sinned
David, your attempt to tar all christians is an utter failure. Also yur knowledge of scriptures doesn’t even reach the depth of ankle deep to a two year old.
John 8:7 “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. ”
He did not say “dont throw the stones if you have not sinned.” The use of a double negative would translate this sentence to ” Throw stones if you have sinned.” Obviously NOT what Jesus was saying.
The accused held that woman as a slave, in violation of our law and constitution. The accused should be sentenced to the maximum with no chance of parole and made to pay all wages owed, as well as triple damages.
As for what Hindi’s may or may not due, If you know of a crime, report it. Otherwise you are as guilty as the person doing it.
She was NOT a slave. She was paid a very small amount in checks and the rest in cash. This is in court now because other countries know our legal system is a joke and Val and her son saw an opportunity to sue for a large amount of money. The only thing that abusive live in nanny deserves is a one way ticket home.
There’s a minimum wage law here David. So tossing around India’s statistics here are irrelevant.
Hang that wealthy b!tch from a helicopter, hovering over her helicopter pad. Run meat hooks through her to hang her up. Let her experince the torment of being held captive. Fhuking greedy wealthy b@stards.
They even advertise on sites like care.com.
If nothing else, this woman should be remunerated, at least at minimum wage, for the time she worked at less than minimum wage – PLUS INTEREST!!!
She is butt @$$ uggggs!!!! I hope she gets eaten alive in prison!
amazing how slavery has a new name. Harboring an Illegal Alien for Financial Gain with Forfeiture Allegeation. I’m glad it didn’t happen down south or we would never hear the end of that one.
make the George’s forfeit all they own to the poor woman.
This case may not be what it seems. Turns out the housekeeper, Valasamma, had slapped the youngest daughter’s hand, another housekeeper reprimanded her and threatened to call police if it happened again. Scared, this prompted Valsamma to call her son in India. They thought if they accused Annie George of abuse, Valasamma’s whole family would get green cards. This is what I found written by a friend of the George family who lives in India. you can search the internet for it. Supposedly the money situation is that the amount of $29,000 was what was paid in checks and the rest was paid in cash. Whatever the case, I hope the truth is found out and people refrain from condemning either side.
Though I don’t agree with how the family went about it, but has anyone considered how much this woman would have had to pay for room and board? No offence, but she got room and board and a cash stipend, albeit a SMALL cash stipend, but I’m sure it was tax free. She was in this country illegally and made more than a lot of good legal Americans. I know A LOT of people who are out of work right now and homeless and would have given anything to have what she had. Bad employer, yes. Slave?? Not remotely close!!!
NO @Valerie! This woman was NOT in the country illegally initially! This woman came into the US LEGALLY! She was working for another family and THE FIRST family had signed her employment visa. When she stopped working for that family, George senior needed to fill out her paperwork so that she could continue to work legally. He didn’t. He told her he did, but did NOT submit the paperwork. He then told her that he didn’t fill in the paperwork and she was now in the country illegally.
ooh OMG a SLAVE in AMERICA! GIVE ME A FRICKING BREAK! WHAT U ALL THINK BUILT OUR COUNTRY? OK IT IS 2013 AND WE FREED SLAVES (NOT JUST THE BLACK ONES ibut every race that was being enslaved) but hell lets face it,if u could still own someone,today in 2013 dont lie YOU WOULD TOO! i of corse would treat mine nice,no beatings,rape,torture no sir ree not my slave, just gonna have em do all the grunt work i dont want to do myself, oh and hey i just mite need a piece of ass too so forget the rape thing not happening,it mite anyway the Boss lady here in this article has LOTS of money, rest assured she wont be uncomfy in her cell.IF she goes at all!
I’m sorry this happens all the time. I’m haitian descent and I can tell you they are infamous for doing this to their own people. The so called “well to do” will go to Haiti and find some family and promise them that they can have it all if they come to the states and work for them so of course they will take it because what do they have to lose. Once they are in the states they are threatened with what they can and mostly can’t do and that’s it they are stuck here. They are told to cook, clean, take care of the kids and do whatever. A key way to know they are enslaving these people is if you were to go to their house they will say they are a family member or a close friend of the family. All these people who do this need to be arrested.
I’m appalled by the greed and inhumanity of this woman! Even more so some of these comments from callous American readers. I bet most of them have never visited 3rd world countries and seen real poverty. The ones who have yet still evince no compassion will be judged accordingly.
You all act as if this is uncommon! Indians and Asians do this to their countrymen ALL THE TIME. Do you really think all those workers in the Chinese takeout or the workers in your local 7/11 or Dunkin Donuts are getting minimum wage and benefits??? Not if the owner looks like them, they aren’t. Like the Russians, the Middle Easterners, the Asians, etc…life just isn’t measured the way we do here. They are expendable and have a cold heart. Remember that when you ask “how could they do that??”.