NEW JERSEY
A Hudson County, New Jersey, woman was sentenced Tuesday to five years and 10 months of prison for her conviction on charges of forced labor, alien harboring for financial gain, and marriage fraud, the Department of Justice announced.
Alia Imad Faleh Al Hunaity, aka “Alia Al Qaternah,” 44, was found guilty in May 2019 of enslaving a Sir Lankan woman for nine years.
She was found guilty on all counts of the indictment against her following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler,
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial, this what happened:
Hunaity brought the victim, a Sri Lankan national, to the United States on a temporary visa in 2009 to perform domestic work. Hunaity caused the victim to overstay her visa and remain in the United States illegally for over nine years.
Hunaity forced the victim to cook and clean her homes in Woodland Park and Secaucus, New Jersey, and to care for her three children, all without pay.
She limited the victim’s interactions with the world outside of Hunaity’s homes. During this time, Hunaity required the victim to sleep on a bed in a public space in Hunaity’s homes, including in the kitchen.
In 2018, Hunaity forced the victim to marry her so that the victim could obtain legal residence and Hunaity could continue to force her to work without fear of the victim being deported.