Natalie was a 58 year old former schoolteacher living in the Philippines when she agreed to come to the United States for a job. She thought she was agreeing to take care of an elderly woman. Instead, the women’s daughter and son-in-law forced her into domestic servitude. They took her passport and threatened to report her for immigration. They beat her and forced her to work for 18 hours a day, 7 days a week for over a year. They also made her sleep in a dog basket and eat old food. Natalie eventually escaped and went to the police. The daughter pled guilty to forced labor trafficking and was convicted to three years in prison. The son-in-law pled guilty to alien harboring and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $5000 fine.
