Calif. couple charged with enslaving maid
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Federal authorities say a San Diego-area couple has been arrested and charged with enslaving an Indonesian woman for domestic labor.
A criminal complaint filed Friday alleges that 44-year-old Firas Majeed and 38-year-old Shatha Abbas forced the woman to work up to 18 hours a day doing housework for no pay and no days off at an apartment in suburban El Cajon. The worker didn't speak English and didn't have a passport in her possession.
The woman allegedly came to the United States in November 2015 after years working for the same family in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations began its probe last month after the woman handed a visiting nurse a note seeking help.
The defendants had no phone listing in El Cajon.