Apr 13, 2006 1:52 pm US/Mountain
Judge Refuses To Move Saudi Couple's Slavery Trial
By Jon Sarche, AP Writer
CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) ―
A judge refused Thursday to move the trial of a Saudi couple accused of keeping an Indonesian woman as a virtual slave.
Attorneys for Homaidan Al-Turki and his wife, Sarah Khonaizan, told a judge that newspaper articles about the case were biased and would hurt their chances for a fair trial in Arapahoe County.
State District Judge Mark Hannen said he had reviewed the articles and determined they wouldn't have a significant effect on potential jurors.
A federal indictment released in June said the Indonesian woman was paid less than the equivalent of $2 a day over four years to cook, clean house and care for the couple's five children. The indictment also said she was sometimes loaned out to work for four other families when her host family traveled.
Prosecutors also alleged that Al-Turki sexually abused the woman repeatedly. The Associated Press is not identifying her because of the sexual assault allegations.
Al-Turki and Khonaizan face state charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, extortion and theft. Al-Turki is also accused of sexual assault. Their trial in state court is scheduled on June 13.
They also face federal charges of forced labor, document servitude and harboring an illegal immigrant and are scheduled for trial in U.S. District Court in October.
Both are free on bond. They could face up to life in prison if convicted.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Labor said it had tentatively settled a lawsuit against the couple over back wages for their housekeeper.
The deal would require them to pay the woman about $64,000. A judge must approve the settlement.
Al-Turki's attorneys have argued that federal prosecutors filed the forced labor and immigration charges because they tried but failed to build a terrorism case against him.
Defense attorney John Richilano has said in court that Al-Turki has been a "person of interest" to federal authorities since 1995 for allegedly "having ties to terrorist organizations."
In a court filing Friday, prosecutors acknowledged that Al-Turki and his family have been under surveillance for reasons unrelated to housekeeper case but said information Al-Turki's attorneys sought "constitutes classified national security information."
They argued they should not have to turn over any information about the surveillance to the defense.
Prosecutors have said the charges involving the Indonesian woman are irrelevant to any other investigations of Al-Turki.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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