By SELIM ALGAR and RITA DELFINER, AP
Last updated: 7:27 am
June 27, 2008
Posted: 4:27 am
June 27, 2008
A millionaire who enslaved and abused two live-in housekeepers at her Long Island mansion will learn what it feels like to be held captive - a judge yesterday sentenced her to 11 years in prison.
Varsha Sabhnani, 46, wearing a prison jumpsuit, looked frail and unsteady as federal Judge Arthur Spatt pronounced sentence in Central Islip, ripping her "prolonged, dehumanizing behavior."
Varsha and her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, 51, were convicted in December on federal charges including involuntary servitude, forced labor, conspiracy and harboring aliens.
The two Indonesian servants testified that they had been starved and forced to work 18 hours a day and sleep on mats in the kitchen.
Samirah and Enung, who both use a single name, were beaten with brooms and umbrellas. One said she had been forced to eat chili peppers as a punishment.
The horrifying villainy led Varsha to acquire the headline nickname "Cruella," after the evil antagonist in "101 Dalmatians."
Assistant US Attorney Demetri Jones, in asking for the maximum sentence of 15 years, told the court that "in her arrogance, she treated Samirah and Enung as less than people."
Defense lawyer Jeff Hoffman, in pleading for a light sentence, acknowledged there had been mistreatment, but claimed the maids exaggerated on the stand.
Hoffman cited his client's charitable works and said she had been on a starvation diet that caused severe mood swings.
"The good that she has done in her lifetime is extraordinary," he said.
Varsha dabbed her eyes frequently when she turned to look at Mahender and two of their four children in the courtroom.
Mahender, who is under house arrest and will be sentenced today, shed tears throughout the proceeding.
The judge said the husband "turned a blind eye" while Varsha abused the women at their $2 million home in Muttontown. He is expected to receive a shorter prison term.
The judge also ordered Varsha to pay a $25,000 fine.
"I just want to say that I love my children very much," she told the court. "I was brought to this Earth to help people who are in need."
The two housekeepers were not in the courtroom. Their ordeal ended in May 2007, when Samirah wandered into a Dunkin' Donuts with rags on her back and scars on her body. The judge scheduled a hearing July 11 to determine the amount of restitution owed the women. selim.algar@nypost.com
