Opinion ID: 1249305
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendants' Background

Text: Defendant Varsha Sabhnani is herself a native of Indonesia. She has resided in the United States for more than twenty-five years and, in 2001, became an American citizen. Her husband Mahender Sabhnani is a native of India who has resided in this country for almost thirty-five years. He became an American citizen in 1980. Defendants' four children, ranging in age from 17 to 23, are all American citizens born in this country. These children continue to reside at the family home on Long Island where the charged crimes purportedly occurred. When defendants' three adult daughters were questioned by authorities about the circumstances giving rise to the pending charges against their parents, each invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Defendants' alleged procurement of forced domestic labor took place against a backdrop of significant wealth. For example, defendants own outright their Long Island home and a Manhattan apartment, properties having a total value in excess of $3 million. Their known cash and securities holdings total $3 to $5 million. Jewelry, stored in safety deposit boxes, is valued at approximately $500,000. Defendants' wealth apparently derives from a perfume and cosmetics business, which manufactures its products in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Indonesia, and markets these products throughout the world, most particularly in the Middle East.