Kuwaiti Diplomat and Wife Charged with Forced Labor and Visa Fraud in Manhattan Federal Court
In a shocking case of exploitation, Barrak Abdulmohsen Alhunaif, a former diplomatic attaché assigned to the Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations, and his wife Khaledah Saad Al Dhubaibi, were charged in Manhattan federal court with forced labor, visa fraud, fraud in foreign labor contracting, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting.
According to the allegations in the indictment, from 2017 to 2020, Alhunaif and Al Dhubaibi conspired to fraudulently procure visas for three foreign domestic workers from India and the Philippines to provide household help to their family in Manhattan. They obtained the visas through the submission of fraudulent employment contracts, which vastly overstated the domestic workers’ salaries, understated their hours, and falsely guaranteed other benefits.
Once the domestic workers arrived in the United States, Alhunaif and Al Dhubaibi paid the domestic workers far less than what was specified in their contracts and what was the minimum salary required by law. They paid at least two of the domestic workers as little as $700 per month and compelled them to work far in excess of 40 hours per week without a regular day off.
The indictment also alleges that Alhunaif and Al Dhubaibi subjected the domestic workers to abusive conditions, including requiring two of them to surrender their passports upon arrival in the United States, restricting their ability to leave their employment, and controlling their movements by prohibiting them from leaving their residence without their express permission. Additionally, Al Dhubaibi verbally abused each of the domestic workers and physically abused one of the workers, while Alhunaif and Al Dhubaibi threatened at least one domestic worker on several occasions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is committed to investigating and prosecuting those individuals who commit this type of fraud and abuse of vulnerable foreign workers, regardless of their title or position.
The Diplomatic Security Service demonstrated its commitment to maintaining the integrity of U.S. travel documents and the rights of visitors to the United States, and its strong relationship with law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to be essential in the pursuit of justice.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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