Mansion servant enslaved by uber-rich New York family for nearly six years

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

Source: Yahoo News

A wealthy New York woman is facing criminal charges after being accused of keeping an illegal immigrant as an indentured servant and forcing her to live in a closet for nearly six years.

Documents posted on the Smoking Gun allege that Annie George, 39, and her now-deceased husband, Mathai Kolath George, hired an illegal immigrant from the Indian state of Kerala. The immigrant, identified only as "V.M.," was promised about $1,000 a month in wages to live in the family's 34-room, 30,000-square-foot home, known as Llenroc mansion, which houses a helicopter pad, 15 fireplaces, marble flooring, 24-karat gold gilded ceilings and a glass elevator. V.M. was tasked with taking care of the Georges' four young children, along with performing household duties in the mansion located about 20 miles north of Albany.

New York's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Even if V.M. had been allowed to leave the residence at the end of a regular 40-hour workweek, she would have been entitled to a minimum, pretax income of $290 per week, or $1,160 per month.

Instead, the "forced labor situation" (as described in the court papers) was even worse than the already-below minimum wage offer of $1,000 month. V.M. received 85 cents an hour, working 17-hour days, seven days a week, over the 67 months she was kept inside the George residence.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mansion-servant-enslaved-uber-rich-york-family-six-201707220.html

[Renew Deal]

1. This is the second story like this from NY recently

Last edited Fri Mar 2, 2012, 06:48 PM - Edit history (1)

A similar thing happened on Long Island a few years ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/nyregion/23slave.html?pagewanted=all

[PotatoChip]

37. These types of things tend to be very under-reported

for a variety of reasons. Who knows how much of this really goes on all over the country? I bet the numbers are shockingly higher then many may think.

Disgusting disregard for fellow human beings. I hope this family gets their due comeuppance.

[joeybee12]

2. What filth these people are

It's not like they could afford to pay this person a decent wage and have decent conditions...pure fucking evil filth.

[DCKit]

4. A psychopathic need to dominate and subjugate others.

Note that they picked on someone who was defenseless to begin with.

They're cowards, too.

[Junkdrawer]

3. Good thing they're wealthy. Otherwise they would be looking at long prison sentences.

IOKIYAR

[Honeycombe8]

56. When that happened here near Dallas, the perpetrators DID end up with prison sentences.

Despite their wealth. Additionally, they had to pay all the wages in a lump sum that they hadn't paid.

[begin_within]

5. How did they stop her from fleeing the property?

[bluedigger]

7. They have their ways.

[SemperEadem]

27. intimidation and money

that's enough.

[Posteritatis]

33. Intimidation and threats

Do as we say - that's the law, you see - or we'll have you arrested for such-and-such; that sort of thing.

There's a mess with seasonal farm labourers in Canada every other year or so because some dipshit decides they can get away with that.

[MountainLaurel]

38. Probably took her passport

That's usually how these folks roll.

[Cal Carpenter]

53. Yep

That's how it works.

[Mendocino]

40. "We will protect you from the INS,

however you must prove to us that you are trustworthy, loyal and hardworking."

[bluedigger]

6. They were one tax break short of hiring an assistant...

[nytemare]

24. Yes, these are the "job creators"

We better not try to raise the capital gains tax, or they will be forced to use extreme measures.

[snooper2]

8. Yo, we don't have the caste system over here you ignorant woman

[flexnor]

58. there was another case very similar a few years back, same caste orgins

almost the exact same thing

[CanonRay]

9. Is that really against the law for the 1%?

I thought it was their birthright.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. Some of them certainly think it is. nt

[harun]

18. Nothing is against the law for the 1%. The "law" is to keep us in line, not them.

[grahamhgreen]

51. We'll find out after their slap on the wrist - or not.

[joeglow3]

10. But, she works the jobs Americans won't...

[LiberalEsto]

13. My completely American daughter is a nanny.

She might as well be an indentured servant. She works for a foreign ambassador and his American-born wife.

Right from the first they led her to believe she would be getting far more pay than she is actually getting.

She lives there and has a hard time getting weekends or holidays off to get away from them, because if she is there on weekends, they have constantly have her do extra work that was not in the job description.

In addition to caring for the child, which is the easy part, they expect her to cook dinner for 7 other people every night, walk two giant and poorly trained German Shepherds, scrub, clean and move heavy furniture, including a piano. The American-born wife treats her like dirt, the way she treats the other help.

My daughter takes on extra jobs like scrubbing the kitchen floor because she feels bad for the housekeeper, who has heart trouble and no health insurance. My daughter buys her own basic coverage.

Like I said, she is American and is putting up with a lot of stuff. Times are hard.

[Snake Alchemist]

15. Seems like she should contact the American embassy or failing that, the foreign goverment. nt

[LiberalEsto]

16. She needs this job

Unless it gets really nasty, she's going to try and stick it out for 4 more months.
The job is in the United States.

[Snake Alchemist]

17. She may get a better payout from a lawsuit. nt

[bongbong]

21. She should ....

She should "collect" things from the household that they won't miss, and then sell them (a few years later) on Ebay etc. This will cover her missing wages.

This is suggested merely for amusement! Not real. It's just a joke! My comment is the same as when repigs make racist/sexist/misanthropic statements that they explain as "It was a joke! Lighten up!"

[happyslug]

26. Don't even joke about it, such jokes are used to attack the worker as nothing but a thief

Sorry, such comments are used AGAINST workers all the time, even if it was a joke. I have seen such comments used against my clients in Unemployment cases, I have seen such comments being taken SERIOUSLY by Unemployment judges. I like jokes, but when they can come back to hurt someone, you have to tell people to STOP making them. Your jokes fits that category, it can and I suspect will be used against the person this sub-thread is about (Employers DO look at threads like this when it comes to Employees).

Just a comment and a warning NOT to make jokes like the one you did, it is NOT harmful in itself, but it can be used against the employee.

[bongbong]

28. Thanks for your concern

Anonymous chatboards count in court these days? With no names mentioned? Maybe they can use a fictional book about the same type of thing I joked about as evidence too!

I didn't know the court system was in such shambles.

[happyslug]

45. You be surprize at what happens in ADMINISTRATIVE Law hearings

You be surprise what happens in such hearings, clearly hearsay but it will come up and if no attorney to object (which is most of the time) permitted into the record. Thus I had clients come into my office hearing already been held, hearsay statements admitted, and I have to work on an appeal containing that hearsay and I am unable object to it for the time for such objection was long gone. Thus it happens, especially in administrative law (for example Unemployment law).

[bongbong]

48. Hearsay

Hearsay evidence that somehow gets into the record is weighed by the judge when it comes time to do that. If there is a judge floating around who gives what amounts to a fictional fairy tale any input into his or her decision, then the justice system has really gone to hell.

What your concern boils down to is the equivalent of saying any fictional book or story about a hired person stealing from their employer would affect a judge's decision if it was introduced as evidence.

Law students better study literature (so they can win cases) rather than law if what you say is true.

[LiberalEsto]

31. She would never do that

It would go completely against her grain, I'm proud to say.

[Snake Alchemist]

12. Just doing the work that Americans won't do. nt

[Ikonoklast]

25. ...for nothing.

You forgot to finish your sentence.

[SammyWinstonJack]

57. .85 cents/hr 17/hr days.

Where do I sign up?

[annabanana]

14. OTOH.. The closets in that mansion are pretty big. . . . . . n/t

[Bruce Wayne]

19. One ought to build up more trust with one's hired help.

I treat my boy Alfred with just as much dignity and respect as if he were a real person.

[BOHICA12]

20. It's a cultural thing ....

... he might have immigrated here 20 years ago, but he never left the caste mentality behind nor embraced the idea of liberty for all.

[saras]

22. It's not realistic to generalize (wealth, race, privilege) from a single anecdote...

The other three corners of the US:

California and Washington, from the law offices of Reuben Seguritan

Florida, from the Dept. of Justice

In the middle of the country, from ABC/KQHA/ConnectTristates.com

Hawaii, from Hawaii News Now, reposted

and more human trafficking and slavery cases than you can shake a can of pepper spray at, from Human Trafficking & Modern-Day Slavery, a website by Martin Patt, of the U. of Massachusetts

It's something that people in power are tempted towards, whether rich or poor, laborers themselves or idle rich. And I think that the corporate corrosion of the notion of consent in general is a large contributor to its widespread acceptance.

[eggplant]

23. Some history of the estate

http://blog.timesunion.com/realestate/llenroc-mansions-sells-for-1-9-million/929/

[a2liberal]

29. How does free living quarters factor

into the minimum wage calculation? Not trying to justify the behavior (I realize a closet can hardly be considered living quarters), just curious about the technicalities of the live-in situation in general.

[October]

34. Really?

[a2liberal]

41. Yes, really.

Did you read my post??

[Bette Noir]

42. I don't know about now, but my first job included room and board,

so my employer could get away with paying 1/2 the minimum wage at that time. The employer? The Bureau of Land Management.

[a2liberal]

47. Thanks! (n/t)

[Dont call me Shirley]

30. As the upper class often quotes (back on them), "It's time to REALLY level the playing field"

for ALL, not just so the rich can have a world population of indentured servants. Time to relieve them of all ther excess (stolen) money.

[hifiguy]

32. Throw 'em in the slammer

and flush the key down the toilet. A few years in the hoosegow may give these assholes a hands-on appreciation of the value of labor.

[lunasun]

35. facing charges of encouraging and inducing an illegal alien to reside in the U.S.

Seems more like kidnapping or abduction but maybe that does not apply to illegals

[Judi Lynn]

36. You'd think they could have found it possible to deal with her honorably. Look at their house.

The original owner, who built it, had it designed to look like the student center at Cornell, and named it Cornell backwards, "Llenroc."

http://www.luxist.com/2007/10/04/llenroc-estate-estate-of-the-day/2

[AnneD]

39. Hey, she wasn't an indentured servant.....

She was working as an intern...Yes, that's the ticket Smithers. She was an intern.

[24601]

43. I would be real creative if I were the judge in this case. First, the 30,000 sq ft bungaloo would

now be owned by the former "servant." Then the former slave master would owe 10 years "community service" as the new servant.

At least until a higher court overturned me on appeal....That's probably why they don't make me a judge - that and all that law school crap.

[McCamy Taylor]

44. Busted! Now the mistress will get to be locked up

and working for less than minimum wage.

[dfgrehe]

46. Spam deleted by cbayer (MIR Team)

[Incitatus]

49. Prison is to good for some people

Some deserve to be sent to China and work work for
Foxconn for the rest of their lives

[Brigid]

54. I have an even better idea.

How about sending them to one of those Stalin-era gulags like the ones they're showing on H2 right now? They'd never survive that. Most -- millions -- didn't.

[grahamhgreen]

50. Morbid Wealth is a disease. Just like Morbid Obesity. Or any addiction.

[MADem]

52. Jaysus! Makes down stairs at Downton Abbey look like the Ritz! nt

[Honeycombe8]

55. That happened here near Dallas, TX. The victim ended up with a judgment for...

over $300,000 in unpaid wages. So she'll be able to return home a wealthy woman (she was from Central America, I think). Not that she didn't pay dearly for that money. But at least she can move forward and provide for her children.

Maybe the same will happen in this instance.

BTW, the people charged in the crime WERE sentenced to prison.