A Saudi Princess was arrested Tuesday in Irvine, California, on suspicion of human trafficking and enslaving a domestic worker. If convicted, she could face up to 12 years in prison.
Meshael Alayban, 42, lives with her husband, a Saudi prince, and children in a 4-unit condo complex in Orange County. A Kenyan domestic worker fled the home Tuesday and claimed she was being held as a slave against her will.
According to LA Times, Homeland Security agents executed a search warrant on the home soon after her arrest and found four other woman.
The Kenyan woman was allegedly hired through an agency in Kenya to work for the family in Saudi Arabia in 2012. When she arrived, Alayban took her passport and travel documents and forced her to work excessive hours with minimal pay. The Kenyan woman claims that they agreed on $1,600 a month, but she was only paid $200 a month. When she was fed up and tried to quit the job, Alayban refused to return her passport or travel documents.
Alayban then did the same to four women from the Philippines. When their family decided to move to the U.S. in May, they took the workers with them.
Detectives say all of the women they retrieved seemed to be in good health and there were no signs of physical abuse, but they all got their personal documents stolen.
Miami Herald reports that Alayban is being held on $5 million bail and is being arraigned in court Thursday.
Since 2003, more than 100 cases of human trafficking have been investigated in the same area as Alayban’s home.