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Doctor pleads guilty to illegally harboring unpaid Indian workers

A Monmouth County, New Jersey doctor pleaded guilty to charges brought against her for harboring two undocumented Indian women and committing tax evasion. 

Harsha Sahni, 66, was charged by federal prosecutors with one count of conspiracy to conceal and harbor aliens and one count of filing a false tax return, according to the United States Attorney’s office of New Jersey

Court documents state that Sahni hid and concealed the identities of two Indian nationals from 2013 to 2021, who Sahni harbored in her and her family’s homes to work for her. The victims were unpaid, and instead, the victims’ families in India were compensated by Sahni in exchange for their labor.

Sahni falsely told the women that they would be arrested and deported if they revealed their situations with law enforcement, Daily Voice Monmouth reported. 

“Unlawful labor schemes often exploit the most vulnerable members of our society,” special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Newark Ricky J. Patel said following the plea hearing on Thursday. “Harsha Sahni conspired to take advantage of [the women] while essentially stealing their money.”

From 2013 to 2019, Sahni also evaded taxes for the labor of the victims as household employees. 

Sahni’s plea deal includes $642,212 paid to the victims and $200,000 for the treatment of a brain aneurysm that one of the women experienced. Sentencing is scheduled for June 20, 2023, where Sahni faces up to 13 years in prison.

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