B’deshi diplomat indicted of trafficking

A senior Bangladeshi diplomat here has been indicted on charges of allegedly forcing his domestic help to work long hours without pay, with prosecutors saying he tried to cover up his illegal actions.

Md Shaheldul Islam , 45, is the deputy consul general of Bangladesh in New York and holds “limited immunity” which pertains specifically to official actions only, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

Islam was indicted by a Queens County grand jury with 33-counts of labour trafficking, assault and other charges.

He was arraigned on Monday before Queens Supreme Court Justice Daniel Lewis, who set bail at $50,000 bond or $25,000 cash and ordered Islam to surrender his passport.

Islam’s next court date is June 28 and if convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

According to the indictment, Md Amin was brought to Queens from Bangladesh around 2012 to work as household help for Islam and his family. Soon after Amin’s arrival, Islam allegedly took his passport and required the man to work 18 hours a day in the family’s home.

Even though Amin had a contract which outlined his compensation, it is alleged he was never paid for his work and if he disobeyed Islam’s orders,

Amin was allegedly physically assaulted by the diplomat, who either struck him with his hand or sometimes with a wooden shoe.

The diplomat allegedly forced Amin to work for his family in their Queens home without financial compensation from 2012 through May 2016, when the victim was able to escape. The victim’s only source of income came from tips from guests.