Texas Couple Who Enslaved Nigerian Nanny Must Pay Her Restitution

A Nigerian couple from Texas was ordered Friday to pay more than $120,000 in restitution towards their enslaved Nigerian nanny, according to reports. The former nanny was forced by the couple to work 20-hour shifts a day to care for the couple's children without pay for two years.

Chudy Nsobundu, 57, and his wife Sandra Nsobundu, 49, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas to complete seven months in jail for their misconduct. The Nsobundus, thereafter, will also be required to serve seven months of in-home confinement alongside three years of probation.

The Nsobundus, who are naturalized U.S. citizens, initially hired the fellow Nigerian woman after guaranteeing she would earn a $100 monthly wage, the Associated Press reported. She worked at the couple's home in Katy, a suburbian neighborhood of Houston, where she'd clean the house, cook and care for multiple children "every day from 5:30 a.m. until 1 a.m.," according to KPRC-TV.

"The Nsobundus knowingly enacted a scheme intended to cause the woman to believe that failure to perform the labor and services would result in serious harm to her," a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas read. "They also threatened abuse of law and the legal process. The scheme included not paying the victim and restricting her movement to the defendants' residence or two short walks per day around the block with the children."

"They also frequently yelled at, scolded and berated the victim for moving too slowly or failing to care for the children in the manner they wanted. In addition, the Nsobundus threatened to send the woman back to Nigeria if she did not comply with their labor demands," the release continued.

The former nanny, whose name remains undisclosed, reportedly worked for the couple between September 2013 and October 2015.

The Nigerian woman was rescued from the Nsobundus residence Oct. 10, 2015, after a tip was called into the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), an organization that has a hotline designated for making reports of potential human trafficking confidentially and anonymously. She is expected to receive $129,108 in restitution.

Members of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance launched the investigation into the couple's misconduct with assistance from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, among other departments.