Saudi woman pleads guilty in nanny slave case

Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

A Saudi Arabian woman indicted with her husband for keeping a young Indonesian woman in their home as a virtual slave pleaded guilty to reduced charges today in federal court.

Sarah Khonaizan, 35, pleaded guilty to a charge of harboring an alien in the U.S. for private financial gain. Her sentence could range from probation to up to a year in prison, depending on how federal sentencing guidelines fall in the case. Her sentencing is set for July 28. Prosecutors have agreed to seek a sentence of probation with home detention.

Khonaizan and her husband, Homaidan Al-Turki are charged in U.S. District Court and in Arapahoe County District Court with keeping the woman in their home for four years, forcing her to perform long hours of housework and child care for very little Pay. Al-Turki also is accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting her.

Khonaizan is expected to plead guilty in the state case on Friday.

Defense attorney Forrest Lewis said Khonaizan pleaded guilty to put the case behind her. Facing deportation as an illegal alien convicted as a felon, she has agreed to return to Saudi Arabia once her obligations to the courts are completed.

"She wants to go back home," Lewis said.

"She's concerned about her family," he said. "They have five children. She wants to bring this case to a conclusion in a way that allows them to get back to normal. That was a huge motivation for her."

U.S. District Judge Walker Miller deferred formal acceptance of the plea until a pre-sentence investigation is completed in the case.