A Southlake, Texas couple was sentenced to 14 years in prison for enslaving a young Guinean woman for over a decade.
- Djena Diallo was five years old when Mouhamed and Denise Cros-Toure flew her from Guinea to Texas to become their maid. When she arrived in the United States, Diallo worked for Cros-Toure’s father, Ahmed Sekou Toure for two years.
- The Toure’s allegedly forced Diallo to work in their home without pay, while not being able to get an education and suffering physical abuse. Diallo said she’d have to sleep on the floor, or at a nearby park as punishment. She also reported being whipped with a boombox cord.
- During the trial, Toure and Cros-Toure opposed the accusations. Their defense argued schooling wasn’t an option due to Cros-Toure’s father not having any documentation. The defense also said the couple treated Diallo like their child, a contradiction to the living conditions described.
- Mouhamed and Denise both stated they thought Diallo wanted to stay in the United States because she feared returning to Guinea and being sold into marriage by her father.
- The Toure’s were arrested in 2018, and found guilty by a federal jury in January. They both will serve seven year sentences, and pay restitution of a little over $288,000 to Diallo. The seven year sentences had the possibility of being 20, but it was weighed out by the couple’s age and health conditions.
The Dallas News reports when the couple is released, they will be on supervised release and could possibly be deported back to Guinea.
