US Court Convicts Nigerian Woman for Slavery

From ThisDay News
by Nneoma Ukeje-Eloagu in Washington DC

Wednesday, November 24, 2004—A Nigerian woman, Adaobi Stella Udeozor, 45, has been convicted by a court in Maryland, in the United States for harboring a young girl from her home country for financial gain and for conspiring with her then-husband to hold the girl in involuntary servitude.

According to the evidence produced during the month-long trial, George Udeozor, the woman's husband, brought the girl to the United States illegally in 1996 at age 14. Once in the United States, the girl took care of the defendant's children and performed all household chores without pay until October 2001.

"Harboring another human being for financial gain is morally reprehensible," said Assistant Attorney General Alexander Acosta.

"That modern day slavery persists is unconscionable and the Justice Department is committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who would perpetrate these crimes," he added.

The defendant, Udeozor, is a physician and lives in German Town, Maryland. The jury also convicted her of conspiracy but acquitted her of actually holding the girl in involuntary servitude. Her ex-husband, George, charged with the same offences, is reported to be a fugitive in Nigeria and did not stand trial.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 4, 2005 after the conviction last Friday. Udeozor faces a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment, three years supervised release and a fine of $250,000. She could also be ordered to make restitution to the victim.

This case was investigated by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by attorneys from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Office in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Since 2001, the Department of Justice has undertaken a significant effort to combat human trafficking. From 2001 through 2003, the Department charged 111 defendants in 32 human trafficking prosecutions. The figure is nearly triple the 43 defendants in 11 prosecutions brought over the prior three-year period.

This year alone, the Department set new records for prosecuting human traffickers, bringing charges against 47 human trafficking defendants in 26 cases, as compared to five defendants in three cases in 2000.