WEST ISLIP, N.Y., Dec. 19 A New York couple convicted of enslaving two Indonesian maids could lose their million-dollar home as well as their freedom.
The jury that found Mahender and Varsha Sabhnani guilty on Monday found unanimously on Tuesday that their house should be forfeited because it was used to commit a crime, Newsday reported Wednesday.
The couple, who live in Muttontown, an upscale suburb on Long Island, were tried in federal court in West Islip. They face prison terms that could be as long as 20 years.
Jurors said they were horrified by the testimony and evidence that the Sabhnanis subjected their maids to physical and mental abuse while imprisoning them in the house.
"I don't think people can reasonably inflict wounds on themselves," one man said. "The pictures themselves. They spoke for themselves. Pictures speak a thousand words.".
The couple's house, almost 6,000 square feet on a half-acre lot, has seven bathrooms and an in-ground pool. Similar houses in the area have sold for around $2 million.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
