Saudi Princess in Servant Abuse Case Out On $1M Bond
J.M. Lawrence, Boston Herald, Apr. 2
A Saudi Arabian princess accused of forcing two Indonesian women to work as her servants in Winchester wiped tears from her face after a federal magistrate released her on a $1 million bond yesterday to care for her sick husband and six children.
“I’m pleading not guilty,” Hana F. Al Jader, 40, told the judge as her supporters, including representatives of the Saudi Arabian government, packed the courtroom.
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Al Jader was arrested Wednesday on charges of forced labor, servitude, visa fraud and harboring illegal aliens. If convicted, she faces at least eight years in prison, Merritt said.
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The government claims Al Jader held “Tri” and “Ro” as domestic servants by confiscating their passports and threatening them with harm. She also is accused of lying to immigration officials about the women’s wages and work hours. Yesterday, a source close to Al Jader said when agents demanded the women’s passports last year, “Tri” and “Ro” held the keys to the security boxes holding the documents.
