Conviction in ‘Modern-Day Slavery’ Case

A millionaire couple from New York have been convicted of involuntary servitude for enslaving two Indonesian women who worked as their housekeepers.

Prosecutors had called the allegations against Varha and Mahender Sabhnani a case of “modern-day slavery,'' the Associated Press reports. The couple, who owned a perfume business, were accused of subjecting the housekeepers to physical and psychological abuse to keep them working for only $100 to $150 a month.

After the verdict, Varsha Sabhnani collapsed, and one of her daughters, Tina, yelled, "We didn't do anything to anybody. How could this happen to us?" New York Newsday reports. The judge cleared the courtroom.

The couple were convicted of charges that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude and harboring aliens.

Defense lawyer Jeffrey Hoffman promised to appeal. ''Apparently, the jury was taken by the histrionics'' of the housekeepers, he said.