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Longview couple charged with forcing girl to work

The Columbian
Published: March 30, 2011, 12:00am

SEATTLE (AP) — A Longview couple have been charged with forcing a teenage girl to work in their home for free.

A federal grand jury in Seattle indicted 29-year-old Edk Kenit and 31-year-old Choimina Lukas last week on a charge of forced labor and attempted forced labor. Both are nationals of Micronesia, an archipelago east of the Philippines, as is the 19-year-old girl they’re accused of enslaving.

Prosecutors say the two forced the girl to perform chores and child care in their home without compensation over a period of 11 months. Kenit is accused of sexually assaulting the girl, and investigators say Lukas confiscated her passport and other documents to try to keep her from fleeing. The girl eventually escaped.

It was not immediately clear if Kenit had obtained a lawyer. An attorney for Lukas did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

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