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Sentencing for Harbouring Illegal Maid Postponed

Team Rediff

Rabiya Akhter will have to wait two more weeks to find out how much of her future will be spent in jail.

The 32-year-old housewife was supposed to be sentenced today, perhaps to a one-year term, for pleading guilty to federal charges of harboring an illegal alien. But Akhter's sentencing hearing was postponed until May 7.

Her husband, Nur Alamin, 40, was sentenced last week to 11 years in prison for additional conspiracy and involuntary servitude charges connected with the couple's employment and alleged abuse of an illiterate Bangladeshi maid.

According to authorities, the couple held the woman, Shaefeli Akhtar, captive for five years, refusing to pay her and physically and sexually abusing her regularly. The owners of the Great Star of India restaurant, on 3rd Street in Los Angeles, made Akhtar work in the restaurant and also at their two residences in Anaheim and Koreatown.

Akhtar, who is in her late 20s, escaped from their home last June and complained to the police. The Immigration and Naturalization Service, the US Department of Labor and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all launched a probe into her allegations, resulting in criminal proceedings against the couple.

Akhter pleaded guilty to the relatively light charge of harboring an illegal alien on the eve of her trial last January. But Alamin stuck it through, maintaining a plea of not guilty until his conviction came in.

"We are pleased with his sentence," Assistant US Attorney Caroline Wittcoff said of his 11-year term. "It will send a message to others out there that the exploitation of immigrant workers will not be tolerated."

Wittcoff added that Akhter's sentence will adhere to sentencing guidelines and the judge's discretion. But trial watchers said one year is a typical sentence for similar crimes.

Meanwhile, Akhtar must remain in the country until legal proceedings are finished. Several local women's shelters and Asian American groups are helping her.

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