Long Island Millionaire Pair Accused Of Keeping Women As Slaves

Thursday, May 31st 2007, 6:55 am

By: News On 6

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) _ A federal judge has allowed a millionaire couple accused of keeping two Indonesian women as slaves to post bail, despite objections from prosecutors that the pair might flee the country.

Varsha Mahender Sabhnani, 35, and her husband, Mahender Murlidhar Sabhnani, 51, will be permitted to post $3.5 million bail under conditions including home detention, telephone wiretaps and 24-hour surveillance, U.S. District Judge Thomas Platt ruled Wednesday.

``We're very, very pleased that the defendants are getting out,'' said Jeffrey Hoffman, a member of the defense team.

Prosecutors objected, saying the Sabhnanis might have hidden financial assets they could use to flee the country.

The Sabhnanis, who operate a worldwide perfume business out of their mansion in Muttontown on Long Island, were arrested May 13 after one of the Indonesian women was found wandering outside a nearby doughnut shop. She apparently had escaped the night before when she was putting out the trash, prosecutors said.

The second victim was found when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement searched the house later that day.