| For Immediate Release Case # 13HF0020 July 10, 2013 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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SAUDI ARABIAN PRINCESS CHARGED WITH HUMAN TRAFFICKING FOR FORCING KENYAN WOMAN TO WORK AS DOMESTIC SERVANT AGAINST HER WILL
*This is the first case of forced labor human trafficking to be prosecuted in
Orange County under Prop 35
SANTA ANA – A Saudi Arabian Princess has been charged with human trafficking of a Kenyan woman into the United States and forcing the victim to work as a domestic servant against her will in the first forced labor human trafficking case to be prosecuted in Orange County under California’s Proposition 35 (Prop 35). Meshael Alayban, 42, is charged with one felony count of human trafficking and faces a maximum sentence of 12 years if convicted. Based on the fact that the defendant poses a serious flight risk, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office requested Alayban be held without bail at a bail hearing today. Based on the law, the court set bail at $5 million and ordered terms for the defendant if she posts bail including the surrender of her passport, no travel outside of Orange County without approval from the court, and a GPS tracking device be worn at all times.
Alayban is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday, July 11, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. in Department C-5, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
“The laws of our nation and California do not tolerate people who deprive or violate the liberty of another and obtain forced labor or services,” said District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. “If any person is being enslaved, he or she should contact law enforcement. Any victim of human trafficking will receive the benefit and protection of the laws of the United States and California.”
“We are gratified to have been able to help this victim find her freedom,” said Irvine Police Chief David L. Maggard Jr.
“In this country, it is not only unacceptable to hold people against their will, it is criminal,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles. “This case should serve as an example to human trafficking victims that they can come to authorities without fear, so we can provide them with protection and bring those responsible to justice.”
Background
Alayban is one of the wives of Saudi Arabian Prince Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz al Saud.
Jane Doe, 30, is originally from Kenya and needed work to pay for her young daughter’s medical care. The victim obtained a passport, secured work in Saudi Arabia, and signed a two-year contract with an employment agency guaranteeing that she would be paid $1,600 a month to work eight hours a day, five days a week. The contract also stated that she would be paid more after three months of employment and could alternately return home after three months if she was dissatisfied with her employment.