From Texas to Nigeria: Diplomatic Security Service Helps an Enslaved Nanny Get Justice
By Angela French, DSS Public Affairs
It was a rare opportunity for the Nigerian woman. A.E.[1] had worked for Sandra and Chudy Nsobundu of Katy, Texas, for almost a year in Nigeria when they asked if she would like to continue her employment when the couple returned home to the United States. In a ceremony attended by A.E.’s family, and as written into an employment contract, the Nsobundus promised A.E. a job for five years, a salary, and medical treatment to fix an improperly healed arm that impacted her physical capabilities. The couple also said they would provide opportunities for A.E. to learn skills that would help her get a job after her contract with them was completed.
In September 2013, the Nsobundus brought A.E. to the United States as a nonimmigrant, claiming that she was a family member, to attend the graduation of their oldest child. That’s when A.E.’s opportunity turned into a nightmare. Instead of getting her American dream, according to A.E., the Nsobundus confiscated her passport and made her throw away her clothing and personal belongings from Nigeria.
According to court documents, A.E. alleged she worked nearly around the clock, seven days a week, as the Nsobundus nanny and housemaid in the United States. She stated she was forced to sleep on the floor, only permitted to eat leftovers from previously prepared meals, could not bathe in warm water, denied medical treatment and access to a phone or means to communicate with her family in Nigeria. On top of everything, A.E. says she was subjected to constant physical and verbal abuse by the Nsobundus.
A.E. was permitted to walk the Nsobundus’ two younger children around the block in their gated community each day; otherwise, according to neighbors, she was rarely seen outside the residence. One of her neighbors occasionally joined the group on their walks. Based on their conversations and A.E.’s clothing and appearance, the neighbor started growing suspicious that she was being mistreated.
“The neighbor was extremely hesitant to interfere in her neighbor’s affairs, but was prompted to do research after seeing a poster on human trafficking,” said Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Houston Field Office’s Special Agent Kate Langston, the lead DSS agent on the case.
A.E. never pressured the neighbor for help or asked to leave her situation. “A.E. had been the nanny for the two younger children since they were adopted by the Nsobundus in Nigeria. She adored them and would have stayed out of concern for them,” said Langston.
Per her employment contract, A.E. believed she was being paid approximately $100.00 each month through direct deposits to her account in Nigeria. “The catalyst leading to A.E’s escape was learning through the assistance of a neighbor that she was not being paid while working in the U.S.,” said Langston.
In October 2015, the neighbor called the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (NHTRC) for guidance. A Houston non-governmental organization then coordinated A.E’s escape after more than two years with the Nsobundus in the United States.
“It was a rather ingenious plan,” explained Langston. “An escape vehicle was parked blocks away and neighbors doing yardwork served as lookouts.”
Following A.E.’s rescue, the case was referred to the Houston Human Trafficking Task Force with DSS and Homeland Security Investigations leading the investigation. Meanwhile, the Nsobundus filed a missing person’s report for A.E., prompting the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office to join the investigation.
The investigative team gathered statements from neighbors and other witnesses; however, few had interaction with A.E., which meant most of the information regarding abuse and neglect was based on interpretation and observation.
Based on the material uncovered during the investigation led by Diplomatic Security, Chudy admitted that he, not A.E., filled out A.E.’s visa application, which included multiple misrepresentations about A.E. to include her age, marital status, relationship to the Nsobundus, and purpose of travel. According to a U.S. Department of Justicepress release, Chudy made the misrepresentations “to increase the chances that the victim’s visa application would be accepted and to hide the fact that she would be working for the Nsobundu family as a housemaid and nanny under conditions not in compliance with U.S. labor laws.”
DSS and HSI recovered A.E.’s employment contract during a search of the Nsobundu’s residence. But, Agent Langston knew she needed strong corroboration from other sources to prove that A.E. had been deceived, mistreated, and that Chudy had falsified the visa application. She reached out to her DSS colleagues in Nigeria for assistance gathering statements and evidence crucial to the investigation.
In Nigeria, the team got a big break.
The DSS assistant regional security officer-investigator (ARSO-I) and criminal fraud investigator (CFI) based at the U.S. Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, traveled to eastern Nigeria to interview A.E.’s family members who were present when the employment contract was signed. They confirmed A.E.’s statements about the contract and obtained evidence to prove Chudy entered false information on A.E.’s visa application. The ARSO-I and CFI also verified that A.E. had not been paid for her service.
The Nsobundus were arrested in February 2016. On January 5, 2018, Sandra Nsobundupleaded guilty to charges related to forced labor while Chudy Nsobundu pleaded guilty to committing visa fraud. The couple also was ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution to the victim.
“The success of the investigation and prosecution hinged on information and assistance provided by the ARSO-I and CFI in Nigeria,” said Langston. “There is literally not enough praise for the courageous neighbor who called the NHTRC and the work of our team in Nigeria on this case.”
[1] Due to her status as a victim, the attorney’s office and case workers requested that only the victim’s initials be used.
Source: State.gov