SLAVE MAID TRAFFIC BY SAUDI PRINCESS?
'Slave maid' who says she was trafficked by Saudi princess and kept against her will in Florida home 'used to fly first class with her employer'
- Meshael Alayban's lawyers claim working conditions were good
- Said that the Kenyan woman had access to internet and went shopping
- They added that she was also treated to $10,000 first class plane tickets
- Alayban was freed on $5 million bail earlier this month
- She has been charged with one count of human trafficking.
- If convicted, she faces up to 12 years in prison
- Her alleged victim, a 30-year-old Kenyan woman escaped and then flagged down a bus to seek help
By Jaymi Mccann
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Lawyers for the Saudi Royal princess accused of keeping a Kenyan woman as a domestic slave said that that she had a better lifestyle than is claimed.
Meshael Alayban, 42, was arrested for allegedly forcing her servant to work 16 hour days, seven days a week for just $220 per month.It is alleged that the woman, 30, could not leave as her passport was locked in a safety deposit box in a bank.
Behind Bars: Saudi princess Meshael Alayba's lawyers claim that her maid was kept in better circumstances than she said
Defence attorneys Jennifer L. Keller and Paul S. Meyer described the woman's living conditions differently.
Keller said that the family would pay for a $10,000 first-class ticket on emirates because: ' The family would have felt guilty if they were in the back.'
The statement added that they were able to use the pool, gym, spa and would go shopping that was paid for by the family.
The princess posted bail of $5 million on July 11. She wears a GPS tracking device and cannot leave Orange County without court approval.
Alayban, who is married to the grandson of the King of Saudi Arabia, appeared in an Orange County court in the morning dressed in a blue jumpsuit and answered the judge from behind grilled bars.
Appearance: Saudi Arabian princess Meshael Alayban (C), 42, behind bars, listens to advice from defense attorneys Paul Meyer (2nd L) and Jennifer Keller (R + picture right)) while in court for an arraignment hearing in Santa Ana, California
Uttering 'yes, your honor' several times during her time in the Santa Ana courtroom, Alayban, 42, was aided by an Arabic-speaking interpreter during the proceedings.
Alayban, 42, faces one felony count of human trafficking charges and up to 12 years in prison - she has not entered a plea yet - her arraignment is on July 29th.
As part of the conditions of her mammoth bail, Alayban will have to wear a GPS tracking device and is not allowed to leave Orange County without the courts express permission.
She is also not allowed to try and contact the alleged victim.
The Kenyan woman, who is now being held in a shelter, claims she escaped from the Santa Ana property where she worked for Alayban and boarded a bus where she explained her plight to a passenger who helped her phone police.
Steve Baric, the attorney for the victim who has been identified as Jane Doe, said that he was 'gravely concerned' for his clients safety according to theLA Times.
Saudi Arabian princess Meshael Alayban, 42, behind bars, listens to a court appointed translator while in court for an arraignment hearing in Santa Ana, California July 11, 2013
Alayban is married to Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who is the grandson of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.
In addition to the Kenyan woman, police said that when officers executed a search warrant for Alayban's home, they discovered four women from the Philippines also working in similar circumstances.
All five of the women's passports had been confiscated and placed in a bank safe deposit box which they allegedly did not have access to.
Farrah Emami, of the Orange County District Attorney's Office confirmed to MailOnline that Abdulaziz al Saud was in the United States when his wife was arrested.
They added that Alayban was arrested due to their belief a criminal case could be pursued against her.
Accused: Meshael Alayban, who was arrested in Irvine, California, has been charged with one count of human trafficking for allegedly holding a domestic servant against her will
Meshael Alayban is married to Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz al Saud (pictured), who is the grandson of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
However, they added that the investigation into the four other women was ongoing 'to see if criminal charges are appropriate to any other individuals.'
Emami said that she believes that al Saud is still in the United States.
Meshael Alayban, 42, faces human trafficking charges and up to 12 years in prison after she allegedly held a 30-year-old Kenyan at her Orange County, California home after taking her passport from her.
Alayban was arrested after the Kenyan woman carrying a suitcase flagged down a bus after escaping and tearfully told a passenger that she was a human trafficking victim.
The passenger helped the lady contact police who traveled to Alayban's home where they found another four servants from the Philippines allegedly in similar conditions after serving a search warrant on the condo where the princess, her husband and her family lived.
The 30-year-old woman was hired through an agency in Kenya in March 2012 and her passport was allegedly taken from her on arrival in Saudi Arabia by Alayban.
Police say Alayban's family traveled to the United States in May with the victim and four women from the Philippines.
Seriousness: Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas speaks at an informal news conference after a hearing at the Santa Ana Courthouse in Santa Ana, California today after Meshael Alayban was charged
It is thought that the Saudi Arabian consulate in Los Angeles may have posted the $5 million bail and Alayban has been ordered to wear a GPS tracking device as she is considered a flight risk.
'This is not a contract dispute,' Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas told the court during a bail hearing on Wednesday afternoon. 'This is holding someone captive against their will.'
Alayban's attorney, Paul Meyer, said the case was a contractual dispute and argued his client shouldn't be assigned a ransom-like bail solely because she was rich.
He said she had been traveling to the United States since she was a child, owned properties here and had given her word she would address the allegations.
'This is a domestic work hours dispute,' he said.
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, (left), watches as Irvine Police Chief David Maggard speaks after a hearing at the Santa Ana Courthouse in Santa Ana, California
Rackauckas had originally asked the judge to deny bail for Alayban or set it at $20 million, saying it was unlikely any amount would guarantee a Saudi princess would show up in court.
The victim was working 'around the clock' for the family cooking, cleaning and caring for children, said Irvine police chief David Maggard Jr. She had been promised wages of $1,600 a month but was paid only about $220 a month, Rackauckas said.
The victims alleges that instead of her contracted work eight hours a day, five days a week, she instead was putting in 16 hour shifts, seven days a week on every conceivable household chore.
The Kenyan lady also said that she was working abroad to pay for her seven-year-old daughter's medical bills.
Alayban allegedly only gave the passports to the five women at passport control and has had them under lock and key in a bank safe box since they arrived in the United States in May.
Arrest: Police in Orange County arrested Meshael Alayban at this condo in Irvine - where she has been staying with her family since May of this year
Investigations into each of the victims' circumstances are ongoing. All five women are said to be in good health. No indications of physical abuse were found and were being assisted with finding housing at a shelter.
The other four women left the home voluntarily with police once authorities arrived. They told police they were interested in being free, Maggard said.
No charges have been filed yet in connection with their circumstances.
Powerful: Senior members of the Saudi royal family walk around Mecca - Meshael Alayban is married to a member of the ruling al-Saud family in the Middle Eastern nation
Distressed: The unidentified 30-year-old Kenyan woman hailed down a bus in Orange County and explained to a passenger her alleged imprisonment
'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 the statement.
'If any person is being enslaved, he or she should contact law enforcement. Any victim of human trafficking will receive the benefit and protection of the laws of the United States and California.'
The Orange County District Attorney's office has confirmed that she is facing up to 12 years in prison if convicted.