Harsha Sahni, a New Jersey doctor, will serve more than two years in prison for harboring illegal immigrants and tax fraud. Sahni was convicted for hiring Indian nationals from 2013 to 2021 to work in her home without paying taxes on their wages, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the State of New Jersey.
Along with the two-year prison sentence, Sahni will have to pay $642,212 in restitution to the victims and up to $200,000 in medical bills.
Sahni is accused of paying the victims less than minimum wage in favor of paying their families in India $600 or less for their services. The victims allegedly worked 15-hour days taking care of Sahni’s home. One victim suffered a brain aneurysm and was denied full medical treatment by Sahni.
The 68-year-old doctor engaged in a conspiracy to ensure the victims did not report their work conditions, akin to indentured servitude.
The victims were subjected to unethical treatment and exploitation of their labor.
According to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, Sahni threatened the workers with arrest and deportation if they mentioned the employment arrangement. Both workers were instructed to say they were the doctor’s family members if ever questioned.
“Sahni caused the victims to believe that they would be arrested and deported if they interacted with law enforcement. Sahni instructed the victims to tell other people that they were related to Sahni, and Sahni used fake names and addresses in furtherance of the conspiracy. From 2013 to 2019, Sahni also failed to pay certain taxes notwithstanding that the victims were Sahni’s household employees.”
Sahni was arrested in Feb. 2023 after being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations Newark Field Office.
Due to the charges, the doctor’s medical license was suspended on Aug. 31, 2023.
According to NBC, she “agreed to her temporary license suspension last Wednesday pending the outcome of an administrative action that seeks to revoke her license permanently due to her criminal convictions.”
RELATED CONTENT: Meta Fires Employees For Alleged Meal Voucher Scams
