Us Couple Charged With Trafficking Swazi Woman
An Ellenwood couple has been arrested on charges including forced labor and conspiracy for allegedly keeping a woman from Swaziland as an indentured servant.
United States Magistrate Judge Gerrilyn Brill oversaw the Wednesday hearing of 54-year-old Juna Gwendolyn Babb and 53-year-old Michael Babb.
They were also indicted on charges of harboring an alien for financial gain and accused of confiscating the woman’s passport and visa. Bond was set at $20,000.
U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Patrick Crosby said Michael Babb is a minister but the name of his church was not known. He said the couple was appointed a public defender. The attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
The pair is accused of convincing a woman to come to their home from the Kingdom of Swaziland by promising her a “lucrative, short-term opportunity to provide catering services at the wedding of a family member,”
