Mahender Sabhnani and Varsha Sabhnani
Well, it’s official.
Up until May of 2007, there were still slaves in America.
That is, until husband and wife team Mahender Sabhnani and Varsha Sabhnani were found to be keeping said slaves in their million-dollar estate at 205 Coachman Place, which is located in one of New York’s most expensive enclaves.
You know a house is expensive when there are stone lion statues out front, a pool the size of a small lake in the back yard, and it has a really big door.
Mahender and Varsha also own a 2-bedroom condo on Broadway that’s worth about $1.4 million, and have enjoyed long vacation trips to Singapore, Australia and Bahrain.
Yeah, the Sabhnanis are very wealthy, having made their fortune by selling Royal Mirage perfume in stores around the world, distributing the stuff through at least five different companies they controlled.
Also helping them amass that fortune was the fact that they were able to save a lot of money by keeping slaves, which is, incidentally, much cheaper than actually paying hirelings a living wage.
In 2002, two Indonesian women, arrived in America after negotiating employment with Mahender and Varsha. They were to be paid about $200 a month for one, and $100 for the other.
Why one was judged worth half of what the other was worth, we don’t know.
Those two women, known as Samirah and Nona, were literally five minutes on American soil when the Sabhnanis snatched their passports and kept them “for safekeeping.”
Then the two women were put to work.
Now, most of us have had crappy jobs. Hell, I remember being 15 years old and washing dishes at a pizza place for $3.15 an hour. It sucked, but after 4 or 5 hours, I’d go home.
These women were forced to work 21 hour days.
When they were allowed to sleep, they had to sleep on 3-by-6 foot mats that were kept on the floor of one of the Sabhnanis two kitchens.
The women were starved, given barely enough food to survive on. Eventually things got so bad for Samirah and Nona that they started hoarding food, keeping snacks that she was able to sneak out of the kitchen in a spot above a drop-ceiling panel.
If they slept late, they got a beating. Caught stealing food from the trashcan? That’s a beating. Looking master in the eye? Oh you can bet that’s a beating.
The women were physically abused on a regular basis, with beatings administered by Varsha in one of the house bathrooms with Mahender looking on. Varsha Sabhnani liked to mix it up a little, dealing out beating with a wide variety of instruments. Rolling pins and broomsticks were her favorite, but she wasn’t above using bamboo canes in a pinch.
When one of those items wasn’t handy, Varsha would get a little creative with her abuse.
Cigarette burns were common.
Varsha threw scalding water on Samirah at one point, cut the woman behind the ears with a paring knife another time, and forced the women to eat chili peppers until they vomited – then made them eat the vomit.
One woman was forced to take ice-cold showers, over and over, the other was forced to climb stairs until her legs were so cramped that she couldn’t walk.
To top it all off, the Sabhnanis didn’t even pay the piddling wages that they’d negotiated with the two women, shorting them by only sending $100 a month home to one of the women’s family members.
I’m sure that this all seemed like a perfect setup for the Sabhnanis, and it was – for five years.
On one Sunday morning in May of 2007, however, one of the women wandered off, leaving the estate dressed in pants and a towel.
Hungry, in pain and disoriented, Samirah wandered until she came across a Dunkin’ Donuts shop.
She liked donuts. Recently, a landscaper working on the Sabhnanis’ estate had been approached by Samirah, who pointed at her stomach and said, “donut!” He gave the woman a few donuts, which she stuffed into her mouth as she ran back into the house.
As she entered the Dunkin’ Donuts shop, the manager noticed that she was odder than the usual donut shop customer, and asked her what was wrong. In what was probably the weirdest scene the manager had experienced that day, Samirah pointed up the road, said the word, “Master,” and slapped herself on the face and arms.
The manager, being a sensible man, called the cops.
When the police arrived, Samirah led them back to the Sabhnani mansion, where Nona was found, cowering in a 3-by-3-foot closet under the stairwell leading to the basement.
Once translators were found, the whole story came out and Varsha Sabhnani and Mahender Sabhnani were arrested.
The two women related their disturbing experience to the authorities. They explained that they had been kept away from visitors to the estate, ordered to run to the basement or the garage when strangers approached. The only time they were allowed to leave was at night – when they had to take out the garbage.
Varsha Sabhnani was accused of threatening to use her connections in Indonesia to have the Indonesian police arrest the women and their husbands if they ever tried to escape.
The abuse they endured wasn’t hard to figure out. The evidence was there for everyone to see. Samirah was photographed with highly visible, permanent scars that cover a large portion of her body, with deep, open knife wounds behind her ears.
The Sabhnanis had the best lawyers that money could buy, and they tried – really hard – to get their clients off.
The lawyers claimed that the housekeepers were practitioners of witchcraft and had undoubtedly cut and burned themselves during their religious rituals.
The lawyers explained that the Sabhnanis regularly left the country and that the two women could have left whenever they wanted.
The lawyers announced from the mountaintops that their clients were “model citizens” who just wanted to clear their names, get back to their business, and pay their taxes.
On the 17th of December, 2007 a jury decided that Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani were not model citizens. The Sabhnanis were found guilty and convicted on 12 counts, including involuntary servitude, conspiracy, harboring aliens and forced labor.
They can possibly be sentenced to 40 years in prison, where they will undoubtedly be popular amongst the large African-American population there who might have a thing or two to say about slavery.
Do Mahender Sabhnani and Varsha Sabhnani deserve Hell?
- Yes - both of them do! (87%, 1,166 Votes)
- Yes - but only Varsha (who looks sooo evil!) (6%, 87 Votes)
- No - neither do and that evil comment was way out of line (6%, 85 Votes)
- Yes - but only Mahender (1%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,341
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57 Comments »
i’m not quickly lost for words, but at this moment, i’m stumped…
How ironic, now these two will go to their own prison where they will be punished if they don’t follow the rules. Sometimes there IS justice.
not enough justice. she kinda looks like the wicked witch of the west mixed with the evil stepmother from snow white and a little bit of the witch from sleeping beauty.
Im with stumped. no words other than where DO these people come from, good friggin God.
Brittany, add in Cruela DeVille, and I think you’ve got it!
Now c’mon, I know “society” tells us torturing and working women half to death is “bad”, but is writing an entire article demeaning these people really any different? I think we all know who the REAL bad guys are here…
*sarcasm lulz*
Joe, you obviously just don’t understand and respect their culture.
In their countries, it’s perfectly fine to work people like this. The workers expect this kind of treatment, being from a lesser caste and all.
Now, would you like to buy some perfume?
Gang rapings all around!!!
HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!
I knew I was missing someone…Thanks Courtney! and disney ofcourse
I have actually been following this case for a while since I live in NYC area… These two deserve harsh, very harsh sentences.. Just because they haven’t killed anyone doesn’t mean this story doesn’t belong here… These two millionaires had these women working for no money and being beaten and basically held hostage.. It makes me sick when people with so much money can’t hire a damn maid, nOoO they gotta go take a hostage… thankfully, the judge isn’t gonna go easy on them because they have money… the only thing I can smile about is state prison in NY is not exactly the most pleasant place.. and once they go up north, they will become someones slaves, ahh KARMA its a beautiful thing…
if you don’t know the family, there’s no reason to post things based on what you are reading. This family does not deserve to be broken up, you guys have no idea what your talking about.
you’re right, we don’t know the family but this can’t be good for the kids in the family to know this is going on (I’m sure they knew) and watch it go unpunished. What are people teaching their kids by being beyond cruel. This was also abusive to the children, it’s good they are seeing the justice. The kids maybe should have said something earlier, they are old enough. That varsha lady must have had some wicked childhood herself to act like that. That can’t be human nature. I hope not.
Why would anyone condone this behavior? The facts are real, and if this family gets “broken up”, oh, well. They did it to themselves, not to mention those poor women. Money can’t buy everything, but it sure could have paid these women instead of making them slaves. Joe and unknown need their heads examined.
i just wanted to say that they should get hanged to death….
both sabhnanis should be given exact same treatment for 1 year- by the 2 maids, no fines, no need for any imprisonment, that wud be closure for all
you jokers there have no idea what it is to go thru anything remotely close to this torture.
if u saw any family member of yours suffer, u wud know where the shoe bites
hey Varsha… Leona is waiting for you in HELL!! i’m amazed when you think of how little a $100.00 is to this couple and how much it means to the victims. Those poor ladies should get a couple million apeice and move their indonesian families into the Mansion…
They will not be someones master. They will be someones bitch :)
Joe was kidding (see the sarcasm lolz thing)
I don’t care what kind of excuses they may have. This is AMERICA, land of the FREE, and slavery is not acceptable under any circumstances. Can’t wait to see them in prison and varsha especially, when she meets the general african-american population and Big Bertha, her cellmate. HAHA
Why didn’t the women just leave again?
Because their passports were taken and had expired so they were here illegally. They did not speak the language and were afraid that these super rich people would hurt their families back home if they did.
The Sabhnanis deserve the worst punishment there could be meted to them according to the law – longest jail time and confiscation of all properties. The poor Indonesian women should get their entire cash, the house, and their family brought from overseas to live in the mansion and get an honorary US citizenship granted on the spot. That would be ultimate justice.
I wish sabhnani’s the worst in the jail. I hope the living lights are beaten out of their rotten heads. And yeah, .. biggest question yet is WHERE THE HELL do people like THIS come from!?
Vampire Varsha and Gandu Mahendu should be stuffed with RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS till their arses bleed. Then they should be paraded nekkid in pubic facing backwards on donkeys with their faces painted purple. After that, they should be dunked in hot coffee from the Dunkin Donuts shop across the street. And only after that should they be allowed to go to prison. Hell, jail is easy for these louts — no one will be able to see how they’re violated there. Reality jail show anyone?
I wanna see the reality show of how Varsha is violated in jail, raped again and again. And how they carve Mahendu’s little wee-wee up and make cutlets out of it. Are they in the same jail? That’d be awesome for the rest of the inmates.
Most rich Indians are EVIL. They have a pathetic caste system which makes them think they are greater than others. Period
I hate to generalise but you are so right. They are and very racist and pandering to those they try to impress.
Ridiculous…hate to generalise, and yet generalise??? I dont disgaree that some Indians are still racsist, but most have moved away from that crap, and make a conscoius effort to make a contribution to both the community they live in here, and the community they left behind back home.
Murzali Ali and NYC_Chic..your jobs got outsourced to India?? Hate to generalise indeed!!!
Indians are not racist. The caste system was meant to divide people by their profession and that is why some people are looked down upon. For example, Sudras are people who clean the toilet, the sewage, pick up the garbage and therefore they are not respected becasue they are uneducated and have disgusting jobs. However, if a Sudra studied and became something life, then no one pays attention to his caste cuz he is no longer a Sudra but had moved up the caste system. I mean, even in America people are not exactly “buddies” with their garbage collector and sanitation workers because of their jobs.
Your claim that a lower caste member can climb the caste ladder is problematic on several scales. Firstly, being highly-educated and well to do will not diminish your caste status. It’s there for life. If a Sudra, you’ll always be a Sudra. Secondly, being a Sudra or Dalit is a problem in itself in getting oneself educated – this is especially so in the villages where the high castes effectively determined the way of life. Sudras and Dalits in India are still struggling to be recognised as fellow human beings who deserve respect and decency – getting an education is the least of their problem it seems.
Well, there is some justice in the world, at least for Cruela Deville here (man, Varsha is one uuuuuhhhhgly biiiaaahhtch, ain’t she?). She received an 11-year prison sentence on Thursday, along with 3 years probation and a $25,000 fine. That’s Federal time BTW, which means NO parole – she’ll have to serve the majority of her bid. Hubby Mahender will be sentenced today, probably to less time, since Cruela was the abuser. He just cowered in a closet somewhere, probably hoping she didn’t demand sex from him that night.
Max
I concur, she is one ugly bitch.
She got a birds nose and big bugling eyes.
Imagine her bald! lol
Maybe that’s why she was so mean. She hated herself. No amount of money could make her purtty lol
I bet those “slaves” of hers looked better!
And her hubby is a bitch for being a punk. He should’ve been the man and pimp slapped some sense into his ugly wife.
I bet she forced him into S&M and made him worship her crusty feet.
We recently had the “ugliest dog” contest but I beg them to have an “ugliest bitch” contest so that Varsha has a chance to feel good about herself.
These two demons look like fuckin Asian Indians or something of that kind. How dare they enslaved other people when they themselves look like fuckin slaves!
The nicest thing that could happen to these two Indian-looking demons is to be gang raped and beaten until they become vegetables. What arrogant, sick immigrants who just got the luck in life? Sick, sick demons!
I then realized that the Indian-looking woman, whatever her name is (sounds like pigshit, anyway) does not deserve 11 years in prison. She deserves to have her head cut – that would give justice to the two Indonesian women who only clamor for a taste of a decent existence, but were eventually exploited.
And if these two fucking Indians still believe in the Caste system – they could be reborn as the lowest form of bacteria. Disgusting, sickening, fucking Indians!
Pretty sad, but yes right here in the US we have people that are being brought to the US and used as slaves… This needs to stop…
These two Indians should be sent back to India…
what makes you think we want them back in India….send them to join the war against terror….they seem to be well versed in torture (sic) anyways….
What makes you think we want them helpin gus in the war on terror, numbnuts? WE can torture just fine on our own! A little waterboarding, a little naked pyramid time, maybe some jumper cables hooked up to genitals and a car battery and we have ourselves some pertinent information! (SARCASM, for the bleeding hearts.)
Karma will bite them in their ass……
Unfortunately, time and time, it is proven that whatever Indians believe in (x1000’s of God’s), is somehow causing them to do whatever they want to do. You see that at work, at social events, and in cases like this. I think that they abandon all that non-sense and start believing in one God (as a proven solution). If they do that, they might be able to distinguish between right and wrong. And she enable them to joing the rest of humanity.
Oh you are so right Joe! Accepting Christainity’s version of God will prevent all cruelty of man against man.
Ask this guy. He will tell you. And he was a preacher of that brand of religion. He should know. http://pysih.com/2008/08/11/anthony-hopkins/
11 years, hope it feel like a lifetime, hope the outrage lasts when this despicable woman get out, hope their friends take a good, hard look at themselves, how could anyone visiting their house as a guest not know about this atrocity, sometime I yearn for the days of frontier justice…surely these two deserve permanent punishment….
wow, i know one of their children, and they were so quick to say that their mother didn’t do this. now i’m almost scared to interact with them. how could you live in the house and not know what was going on?
She knew, she was just being selfish. Being selfish is the worst of all sins, because it always leads to worse things.
Yes they should have passports taken from the millionairs and they forced back to they’re old country/jailed under usa terms and never allowed back -and without the millions they made while living in the states – that money go toward a new fund for victims. Why aren’t these setup’s monitored by gov officials with monthly home visits for imported maids and servants legal or not….I would love the job of doing the monthly visits with no bribes allowed! Fund the job via many rich and different people hiring the servants-who should be monitored nice or not=they all get monitored the same monthly for treatment and pay equity to the hired house staff.
It is interesting to find out what these two women did for 22hrs a day serving only two people. Even the busiest people would not spend more than 2 to 4 hrs doing their chores. If they cannot show their faces to others who come to house, then even that work is done by so called mean Varsha. So, I still do not understand the amount of work done by them. Secondly, coming to the cold showers and kitchen floor sleeping…. it is strage … I really am at a loss of words to see how much HATRED is in people towards two perceived RICH indian couple.
Varsha Sabhnani, if you are readin this; may i be your next slave? I would love the privelege of serving at your feet, acceptin your beatings, meeting all of your needs. I ask nothing in return. I will sign a consent giving you full power to enslave me. You are a goddess and you deliver to own slaves.
Just an FYI to new readers:
Judge Arthur Spatt said Friday the maids were entitled to double their unpaid wages because they were abused while working around the clock for Varsha and Mahender Sabhnani.
The victims have testified that they were beaten, slashed with knives and compelled to take freezing showers for such misdeeds as sleeping late in what prosecutors had said amounted to a “modern-day slavery” case.
The judge awarded the housekeepers a total of more than $936,000 — at least $700,000 more than the Sabhnanis’ lawyers considered reasonable.
The Muttowntown couple was convicted in December of charges including forced labor. Varsha Sabhnani has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, her husband to 3 years and 4 months.
Source (http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/07/varsha-mahender-sabhnani-judge-whacks-modern-slave-drivers-1-million/)
The system works a little
I am afraid that these people have suffered a miscarriage of justice. You only need to see the sensational headlines!
American’s are so ignorant of foreign cultures.
Firstly, these maids earned $200 p/w, which is the same salary as these maids would have got in their home country. Who do you think makes all your branded goods? You spend $100 on a pair of Nike’s do you think the poor workers in those foreign country get a descent wage?. Or is it the fat corporation?
If the Sabhanani’s are guity of slavery, perhaps the entire corporate america should be brought to account.
The Sabhnani are guilty of some things, I don’t doubt this. Yes, they would be guilty of overworking their maids. But I find it hard they would have abused their maids in the manner described.
I think the interpreter guided them to give the correct answers such that they could sue the Sabhnani’s for big bucks!!!.
I don’t think the Sabhnani’s got a fair trial either in court or fair reporting in the newspaper. Just look at the sensational headlines.
There were silly comments like the maids slept on the floor. American’s are clueles about foreign cultures. A lot of people in poorer countries will find it hard to sleep on a bed (I know it sounds silly, but its true). But just as much as you would find it hard to sleep on the floor, they would find it hard to sleep on the bed. It is how you were brought up. Ever seen the movie Crocodile Dundee? – he sleeps on the floor!
I agree they are guilty of bringing in these maids on improper VISA. But how many people employ Mexican’s without proper paperwork?. Heck if every Mexican maid went to the authorities and claimed they got mistreated they would be rich!
You see one thing that bugs me about the whole thing. IN ARTICLES IT SAYS THE SABHNANIS FREQUENTLY WENT OVERSEAS. THEN DID THEY LOCK UP THEIR MAIDS?? THEY WOULD HAVE RUN AWAY WHEN THEY WERE ON VACATION? Something is not right? Surely they would have taken a rucksack with food and steal some cash or jewellery even make a few phone calls….
So I have my doubts!
Well why dont you take your doubts and shove them up your ignorant ass!!!
They were tried and convicted of the crimes against these two women. Thats good enough for me.
My guess is that you yourself have a few “illegal maids” ( which in English translates to ” slaves”) down in your basement and feel the need to justify this.
Another fine product of the American Public School System. “No Dumbass Left Behind!”
I don’t think the person who made that comment was born in America.. or if they were I doubt they were raised “American”.. See, people in all other parts of the world can say whatever they want about America, and Americans, but there’s one thing that will never cease to be true – mess with our freedoms, and you’re going to start a shit-storm..
While we may be a mix of races, religions, and nationalities – americans do have their own culture.. and it’s funny how we belong to the only culture on the planet that everyone deems socially acceptable to rip apart.. To hell with that.. I’m f’ing glad to have been born in America.. and I’m f’ing proud to be an American.. where bull*hit like this (featured in this story) is unacceptable, and wrong.. We made lots of mistakes in the past, and we continue to make mistakes, but we’re humans, we’re flawed but so is everyone else in the world.. and considering all the conflict, we do the best we can..
To all the “kids’ who bitch and moan and talk about “moving to amsterdam” or who go on anti-governmental rants – be fricken glad you live in a country where you’re allowed to disagree, and ultimately leave if you wish..
Sorry.. I just.. get ..frustrated.. rarg..
I’ve got a couple of issues with this story that make it hard to believe this is true:
1. She went to the Dunkin Donuts and the guy working their felt she didn’t look like a normal customer. Of course she didn’t, she was wearing pants, a towel and no badge. Now if it had been a blue towel she might have fit right in.
2. When police arrived… What do you mean when they arrived, show me a Dunkin Donuts and I’ll show you a police station. Isn’t it a requirement to open a Dunkin Donuts that you be a Police Officer?
As far as the rest goes, why don’t we take these scumbag POS’s and have them work 23 hours a day making donuts. Matter of fact, we could let them stand in the fryers and move the dough around so it doesn’t stick. At the end of the night they can sleep for an hour in the dishwasher as it runs through it’s cycle.
And my housekeeper thinks she’s got it bad.
Forced slavery and torture? That is soooo old school. Walking up stairs? Yawn. Scalding water? Boring. Can’t these two evil people come up with something better? Something like:
Having nails forcefully shoved under their own nails, all 20 of them. Rusty nails too, dipped in poo. Then you take a razor, cut a line from the bottom of their feet, to their faces, across their faces, and down to their other feet. Dip them in battery acid. Tie them together, naked, and smash their feet Misery-style. Then cover them in animal pheromones and leave them in a zoo for, ohhh, 26 hours. Then go back to get them, drag them across a bed of hot coals and broken glass, make them listen to loud emo music (ick), bend their fingers allll the way backwards til you hear a snap. Take them back to the stairs and make them crawl up and down. If they can’t do a lap in 10 seconds, they get pushed down the stairs 10 times.
Then on day two….well, you can use your own imaginations.
BTW, Miss Lady needs a nosejob.
Idiots.
Have they even read the Constitution. Slavery is against the Constitution. It’s the 13th Amendment.