A Saudi Arabian man accused of enslaving and sexually assaulting an Indonesian woman in his Aurora home received $400,000 from the Saudi government to post bail on state charges but was ordered to remain in jail without bail on federal charges.
In a detainment hearing Monday afternoon, U.S. District Magistrate Michael Watanabe said he was concerned that Homaidan Al-Turki is a flight risk.
Al-Turki, 36, and his wife, Sarah Khonaizan, 35, were arrested last month after a federal grand jury indicted them on charges of forced labor, furthering slave traffic, harboring an alien and criminal forfeiture.
The couple also were charged in Arapahoe County District Court with two counts of first-degree kidnapping, sexual assault by force, felony extortion, making false statements and committing a violent crime involving a sexual offense.
Al-Turki’s state bail was set at $400,000, which defense attorney John Richilano said he received late last week in a wire transfer from the Saudi government through its embassy in the United States.
Defense attorney Dan Recht said that in his 20-plus years of practicing law he’s never seen a foreign government pay bail for one of its citizens in the United States.
He said Al-Turki is not from a prominent family but that he is considered a scholar of some repute.
“It speaks to the Saudi government’s beliefs in his innocence and that he will show up in court like he’s supposed to – that they’ll get their money back. He’s a limited risk,” Recht said.
Al-Turki’s wife is no longer in jail but is bound to her home with electronic monitoring.
The state bail for Khonaizan was set at $150,000 and was paid by family and friends. She is scheduled to appear in state court Sept. 9. Federal authorities released her on an unsecured bond of $25,000 so she could care for the couple’s five children.
Recht said he planned to appeal Monday’s ruling on Al-Turki’s bail and is confident his client will be shown to be innocent at trial.
“The prosecution’s case is very weak,” he said.
Defense attorney Richilano said the housekeeper was interviewed by federal agents “at least 11 times,” before she made any reference to sexual contact.
“There were repeated denials, from November until April, in which she was specifically asked about sexual contact. And she said ‘No,”‘ Richilano said.
The decision to hold Al-Turki without bail upset many in a contingent of about 60 Saudis who packed the courtroom Monday in support of his release.
Mohammed Jodeh, 65, a leader in the metro-Denver Arab community, said Al-Turki was a devoted family member who came to the mosque nearly every night to pray or volunteer.
“He is an honorable man. He stands for what he promises,” Jodeh said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brenda Taylor said she worried that Al-Turki could easily flee the country if allowed to leave jail.
Al-Turki and Khonaizan came to the United States on student visas in 1992.
Prosecutors said Al-Turki hasn’t been an active student for two years, and his visa is therefore invalid.
Richilano said Al-Turki is a Ph.D. candidate in linguistics at the University of Colorado, attempting a 10- to 15-year study of intonation and inflection in Arabic dialects, something that could be of interest to the Department of Homeland Security.
Several CU professors, including Barbara Fox, the chair of the linguistics program, turned out to support Al-Turki during Monday’s proceedings.
Al-Turki and his wife also face the hurdle of an immigration hold, which is placed automatically on non-U.S. citizens detained by law enforcement.
Immigration attorney Ken Stern testified Monday that Al-Turki and Khonaizan posted a $25,000 bond in immigration court when they were detained last November following the initial tip that they were harboring the Indonesian woman.
The woman was removed from the home at that time, but charges weren’t filed until last month.
Richilano said his client wants his day in court in order to clear his name.
“That would be more important to him than to run,” he said, “which would be considered shameful within his community.”
Staff writer Mike McPhee can be reached at 303-820-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com.
