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Grand jury subpoenas couple's kids in slave case

The three children of the Muttontown couple accused of enslavement will appear before a federal grand jury Tuesday, a family attorney said. An attorney for one of the children said subpoenas were served

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2007, 12:48 AM

Updated 6,322 days ago

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The three children of the Muttontown couple accused of enslavement will appear before a federal grand jury Tuesday, a family attorney said.
An attorney for one of the children said subpoenas were served Monday to the children of Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 35, and husband Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51. Although the attorney said the kids would appear in court, as scheduled, he would not disclose whether they plan on invoking their Fifth Amendment rights.
The Sabhnani parents are accused of forcing two Indonesian women who were hired as housekeepers to work as slaves. Police said the Sabhnanis were discovered after one of the women escaped to a nearby Dunkin' Donuts dressed only in pants and a towel. Since their hiring in 2002, the couple allegedly made the women work 21-hour days and tortured them for stepping out of line.
Bail was set for a combined $3.5 million. If Varsha Mahender Sabhnani and Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani post bail, they would be placed on house arrest. They would need to wear electronic monitoring bracelets and all phone calls would also be screened.
Related Information: Evidence seized from couple accused of enslavement Feds: Muttontown couple enslaved housekeepers