Turkish diplomats accused in Washington court of violating US laws

Turkish investigative journalist Abdullah Bozkurt wrote an article in the Nordic monitor titled “Top Turkish Diplomats Charged with Human Trafficking, Fraud in Washington, D.C. Court.”

Bozkurt reported that Husnu Sinan Ertay, the former deputy chief of mission – the second-highest diplomat at the Turkish embassy in Washington, D.C. – and his wife, Anil Ozge Ertay, a diplomatic counselor at the embassy, ​​were “ accused of human crimes. trafficking, fraud, unjust enrichment, breach of contract, and violations of U.S. labor and wage laws. The civil complaint was filed in May in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by their nanny, Filipino national Sharon Thomas Agdipa. If the judge accepts the case, the court will determine the couple’s guilt or innocence.

The Turkish diplomats lived in a $1 million, 1,330-square-foot townhouse in a gated community on Embassy Park Drive in Washington’s Wesley Heights neighborhood. Their babysitter claims that “she was lured from the Philippines to the United States with promises of employment, fair wages and a private room, only to be subjected to forced labor.” According to her lawyers, “she endured emotional and physical suffering, was deprived of regular meals, deprived of a private room, grossly underpaid, threatened with deportation and frequently subjected to verbal abuse.”

Bozkurt wrote that his “sources within the Turkish diplomatic community who spoke to Nordic Monitor expressed little surprise at the accusations, citing the nature and character of the Ertay couple. “Ms. Ertay is known to be a vicious person among her colleagues,” said a source, speaking on condition of anonymity. Other sources claimed that her husband got his job at the Foreign Ministry in a big way. partly thanks to his father’s influential role as deputy assistant secretary for personnel.

Bozkurt wrote that “Agdipa’s ordeal began in November 2019, when Ms. Ertay offered him a job in Washington, DC. However, when Agdipa started working for the couple in February 2020, her duties extended beyond looking after their five-year-old son, to include various household chores, from cleaning and cooking to gardening.

Bozkurt reported, “Although her contract called for a 35-hour work week at $14 an hour, Agdipa worked more than 80 hours a week and was required to be on standby at all hours to accommodate the couple’s demands. She received no compensation for overtime, which is a clear violation of the terms of the contract. The suit alleges the couple forced Agdipa to return part of her salary by asking her to withdraw money from an ATM and return it to them… Over the course of 15 months of working for the couple, Agdipa had to return about one-third of his total salary, or $9,450.

The lawsuit alleges that the Turkish couple “was violent toward her, using insults and insults, threatening to deport her, and inflicting emotional and psychological distress on her.” She was told she would be kicked out of the country if she complained about working conditions.

Agdipa alleges that she was denied regular meals contrary to the contract, was not allowed to prepare her own food, and was denied medical care and sick leave when needed. Bozkurt reported: “Although the contract stipulated that she would receive a private room and board, Agdipa was assigned to sleep in a windowless basement. This space was regularly consulted by the Turkish deputy head of mission.

On May 5, 2021, the babysitter ran away from the diplomats’ house, leaving most of her belongings behind. The labor attaché of the Philippine embassy in Washington, having learned of her situation, referred Agdipa to a law firm to defend her.

The law firm notified the U.S. government of the case after Agdipa testified about the abuse and forced labor she suffered. However, to date, no criminal charges have been filed against the diplomats by US authorities.

The lawsuit alleges that “the Ertays’ actions – ranging from recruiting Agdipa and convincing her to come to the United States, to threatening deportation and stealing her wages – violated several laws… Additionally, their conduct would have involved breaches of contract. , unjust enrichment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud.

On May 20, 2024, Agdipa’s attorneys – Olamide S. Orebamjo, Melissa L. Patterson and Elizabeth S. Fassih of the law firm Jones Day in Washington, DC – asked the court for a jury trial.

It is unclear how the judge will handle the case, given that the Turkish couple returned to Türkiye and enjoy diplomatic immunity.

Buzkurt reported that the Turkish couple works at the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara. “Mr. Ertay is currently Head of Department at the East Asia Branch,” while Ms. Ertay is “Head of Department at the North America Branch.”

Harut Sassounian is the publisher of The California Courier, a weekly newspaper based in Glendale, California. He is chairman of the Armenia Artsakh Fund, a non-profit organization that has donated $1 billion in humanitarian aid, mainly medicines, to Armenia and Artsakh. , since 1989 (including its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund). He was decorated by the presidents of Armenia and Artsakh as well as the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.