Nigerian couple arraigned in US for enslaving nanny, withholding documents

A Nigerian couple resident in Katy, Texas, has been arraigned before U.S Attorney, Kenneth Magidson, for maltreating their live-in nanny and making her a slave. This follows the filing of a criminal complaint alleging, ‘withholding of documents, visa fraud, forced labor and conspiracy to harbor an illegal alien.’

Houston Press reports that the couple, Chudy Nsobundu, 56, and Nsobondu Oby Sandra, 50, was arrested on Monday after allegedly forcing their nanny, a 38-year-old Nigerian woman to work as a personal slave.

While the nanny worked as a slave, she was subjected to bizarre abuses, including making her strain leftover milk from cereal bowls to use in her tea and in one instance, beating her because she dressed the couple’s child in the wrong pair of socks.

A press release from the U.S’ Department of Justice, alleged that Chudy and his wife Sandra were arrested on Monday and charged with forced labor, visa fraud, withholding documents and harbouring conspiracy after allegedly enslaving the Nigerian woman and forcing her to work as a nanny to the couple’s five adopted children without pay.

“In 2012, Sandra allegedly contacted the victim, who was living in Lagos, Nigeria, at the time, through a mutual friend and asked her if she would come to the United States to care for her adopted children.

“The Nsobundus have five children, ages twenty-one, twelve, nine and two three-year olds (according to public records, the 21-year old is a registered nurse).

“The victim signed a ‘contract’ to perform the duties, for which she believed she would earn $100 a month, and soon travelled to Texas using fraudulent identification documents allegedly paid for by the Nsobundus.”