Houston-area couple charged with enslaving Nigerian woman for more than 2 years while in the US

HOUSTON — A Houston-area couple was arrested Monday after a criminal complaint was filed alleging forced labor, withholding documents, conspiracy to harbor an illegal alien and visa fraud.

These charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas. This investigation is being conducted by the following members of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance in Houston: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Fort Bend (Texas) Sheriff’s Office and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.

Chudy and Sandra Nsobundu, 56 and 50, respectively, of Katy, Texas, were arrested Feb. 8 and are expected to make their initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Johnson. The criminal complaint was filed under seal Feb. 5, and automatically unsealed upon their arrests.

The alleged victim is a 38-year-old woman from Nigeria. According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, the woman was subjected to physical and verbal abuse while employed by the Katy couple and regularly referred to as “the idiot.” The victim allegedly worked every day from 5:30 a.m. until 1 a.m. and was responsible for cleaning the house, making meals and taking care of five children.

The criminal complaint alleges the Nigerian woman was told she could not watch television or even sit down during her work hours. She was also allegedly told to sleep on the floor and could not use warm water to bathe or wash her hair. The affidavit also claims that she was not allowed to eat fresh food and was only permitted the leftovers from previous prepared meals. Further, if the victim even wanted some milk for her tea, she had to strain the milk out of the children’s cereal bowls, according to the allegations. In one instance of alleged abuse, the criminal complaint charges that Sandra Nsobundu dragged the woman by her hair and hit her across her face because she did not like the socks the victim put on one of the children.

The victim did not have access to a phone and could not communicate with her family, according to the charges. Her movements were mostly limited to the residence, and she was allegedly only allowed outside for short walks around her block with the youngest children under her care. The charges outlined in the complaint indicate the victim also did not have access to her passport and other travel documents.

The defendants had previously agreed to pay the woman 20,000 Nigerian nairas – about $100 U.S. per month – according to the charges. The Nsobundus allegedly never paid the victim for any of the work she performed for them in the U.S.

The victim was rescued Oct. 10, 2015, after more than two years with the Nsobundus in the U.S., following a tip made to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

If convicted of forced labor, the defendants each face up to 20 years in federal prison. For visa fraud, the maximum penalty is a 25-year-federal prison term; convictions for withholding documents and harboring conspiracy carry maximum punishments of five and 10 years, respectively. All of the charges could also result in a $250,000 maximum fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julie N. Searle and Ruben R. Perez, Southern District of Texas, are prosecuting this case.

A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.