This image provided by the Irvine Police Department shows Meshael Alayban, who was arrested July 9, 2013, in Irvine, Calif., for allegedly holding a domestic servant against her will.SANTA ANA, Calif. – Last year, a Kenyan mother left her country to take a job as a maid for a royal Saudi family hoping to make enough money to cover her ailing 7-year-old daughter’s medical bills.
Once she arrived, she alleges, her passport was taken from her, she was forced to work long hours and was paid only a fraction of what she was promised.
It wasn’t until she traveled with the Saudi family on their vacation to the United States that she was able to escape, according to authorities. Carrying a suitcase, she flagged down a bus in the Orange County city of Irvine this week and told a passenger she was a victim of human trafficking, authorities said.
Meshael Alayban, a 42-year-old Saudi princess, was arrested Wednesday and charged with one felony count of human trafficking for allegedly holding the woman and forcing her to work against her will.
Alayban, who is being held on $5 million bail, appeared briefly in court in Santa Ana on Thursday in a dark blue jail jumpsuit as her arraignment was moved to July 29.