Saudi Princess Meshael Alayban Arrested for Keeping Slaves . . . in California

The only reason Alayban is facing slavery charges is that she's in California instead of Saudi Arabia.

Meshael Alayban

NBCNews—A Saudi Arabian princess is accused of “slavery” after a woman who was allegedly held against her will as a domestic servant escaped from a three-story building, flagged down a bus and alerted authorities in Irvine.

The victim, a 30-year-old maid from Kenya, and four other women from the Philippines, were allegedly being held by Saudi national Meshael Alayban, who is accused of stealing their passports and work contracts and forcing them to work long hours with little pay, according to Lt. Julia Engen of the Irvine Police Department. Police arrested Alayban Wednesday morning.

All five women are in good health and there are no indications of physical abuse, officials said. Alayban, a 42-year-old mother of three, is accused of slavery by authorities.

She likely will be the first person prosecuted in Orange County under California’s Proposition 35, which raised the penalty of human trafficking after voters approved it last November.

“The laws of our nation and California do not tolerate people who deprive or violate the liberty of another and obtain forced labor or services,” District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement issued by the Irvine Police Department. (Continue Reading.)