Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade (pictured) who faces charges of visa fraud and making false statement has given her first TV interview about the case.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Khobragade told the Times Now television channel her maid Sangeeta Richards had threatened her in hopes of gaining permanent residency.
Khobragade was stationed in New York, but moved back to India to escape prosecution.
“She started blackmailing me,” Khobragade said of Richards.
Khobragade is accused of underpaying Richards, making her work long hours without time off and lying about it on the visa application.
“These are the charges against me and they are completely wrong,” she said in the television interview.
Richards and her attorney were not available for comment, but in previous interviews, her attorney said “There was no extortion or anything along those lines.”
You can read about accusations from Khobragade against immigration lawyers and non-profits in the Wall Street Journal.
