Marcus Taslim, a 70-year-old man from Folsom, California, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after being found guilty of visa fraud. He was also ordered to pay $39,000 in restitution to the victim. Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced the sentence on Monday.
Back in December 2018, Taslim brought a woman from Indonesia into the United States. He claimed she was coming to help take care of his elderly mother. To make this happen legally, Taslim applied for a non-immigrant visa for the woman. But he didn’t tell the truth during the process.
According to court documents, Taslim told a U.S. consular officer that the woman would only stay for one month. He also said he would follow California laws, paying her minimum wage, overtime, and making payments every two weeks. To make the story look real, he gave proof that he had already paid the woman her first month’s wages in advance.
But Taslim knew these things were not true. Right after showing the payment, he ordered the woman to take the money out of her account and give it back to him. She followed his instructions.
Overworked and Trapped
Once the woman arrived in the U.S., things turned out very differently than what she had been promised. Instead of staying for just one month, she ended up working for about six months—caring for Taslim’s mother every single day.
Her workdays were long and exhausting. She usually started around 5 or 6 in the morning and didn’t stop until 8 or 9 at night. She worked seven days a week without proper rest.
Taslim did not pay her what he promised. He gave her much less than minimum wage and didn’t pay her on time or in full. On top of that, he took her passport, which meant she couldn’t leave or get help. She was trapped in a foreign country, working long hours under harsh conditions.
In June 2019, she was finally able to leave the situation. The Folsom Police Department stepped in after learning what was going on. Their help allowed the woman to escape and led to a deeper investigation.
Investigation and Justice
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. This federal agency looks into crimes related to visas and international travel. Their investigation uncovered the lies Taslim told to get the visa and how he mistreated the woman once she was in the United States.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot C. Wong handled the prosecution. After reviewing the evidence, the court sentenced Marcus Taslim to 15 months in prison and ordered him to pay $39,000 in restitution to the victim. That amount reflects the wages and treatment the woman should have received under the law.
