A New Jersey doctor’s medical license has been permanently revoked after it was revealed that she subjected her staff to domestic servitude. According to NJ.com, Dr. Harsha Sahni exploited two undocumented Indian nationals as housekeepers for eight years, depriving them of fair wages, medical care, and basic human dignity.
“utter disregard for humanity”
Despite suffering headaches after a car accident, Sahni denied one of her victims’ access to medical treatment, stating that it would be too expensive and legally complicated to see a doctor. Sahni eventually took the woman to the emergency room when the headaches became debilitating, revealing that the victim had a life-threatening brain aneurysm that required urgent surgery. However, Sahni coerced the victim into postponing the surgery until she could arrange for a replacement worker, underscoring the extent of Sahni’s exploitation.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin said of the case:
“There is no place in the medical profession for this kind of criminal conduct and utter disregard for humanity,”
Sahni forced both victims to work daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., paying them only $240 to $600 a month to support themselves and their families in India. But Sahni’s exploitation extended beyond grueling physical labor and lack of proper medical care. She also manipulated her victims by instilling fear of arrest or deportation if they reported her crimes. She further instructed them to falsely claim they were her relatives visiting as tourists.
The State board of Medical Examiners stated:
“Her actions not only exploited vulnerable individuals but also betrayed the trust inherent in her role as a medical professional,”
Sahni’s actions, rooted in deception and intimidation, were exacerbated by her failure to pay taxes on the victims’ labor, adding financial fraud to her list of offenses.
Justice served
In October, prosecutors sentenced Sahni to 27 months in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conceal and harbor aliens and filing a false tax return. They also sentenced her to two years of supervised release and ordered her to pay $728,327 in restitution along with up to $200,000 in specific medical expenses.
Freedom United applauds the state of New Jersey for pursuing justice for these victims and calls on all nations to ratify the International Labour Organization’s C189 convention to combat domestic slavery globally. Join us in our mission to end these abuses by signing our petition today.
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