Texas Couple Indicted, Accused Of Enslaving Guinean Girl For 16 Years
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A Southlake couple accused of enslaving a Guinean girl for 16 years has been indicted on federal charges that include forced labor.
A grand jury on Wednesday indicted Mohamed Toure and Denise Cros-Toure, who are the son and daughter-in-law of a former president of the West African country of Guinea.
An affidavit says the couple brought the victim, then aged at least 5 years but perhaps as old as 13, from her rural Guinean village in 2000. They forced the child, who didn't speak English, to work without pay in their home for years. Authorities began investigating after the victim fled the couple's home in 2016.
The couple is accused of forcing the girl to cook, clean, do the laundry, perform yard work, and paint, as well as care for their five children. Although the victim was close in age to the children, the Toure's denied her access to schooling, medical care, and the other opportunities afforded to their children.
Defense attorney Scott Palmer has said the criminal complaint against his clients is "riddled with salacious allegations, fabrications and lies."
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
