58-Year-Old Chinese Nanny Enslaved and Beaten By Wealthy Minnesota Family

July 19, 2016

A Chinese nanny, who was enslaved and assaulted by a Minnesota family, was found wandering the streets at night in search of an airport to return home to China.

The 58-year-old victim allegedly worked for a Chinese woman, Lili Huang, and her family in Woodbury, Minnesota. Huang, 35, has been charged with five felonies that include labor trafficking, false imprisonment and multiple counts of assault. She is currently held on $350,000 bail and being monitored with an ankle bracelet.

Lili Huang (pictured) was charged with five felonies.

The nanny, who is unnamed, fled the household after Huang threatened to kill her with a knife, according to charges filed Friday in Washington County. A medical examination at the United Hospital in St. Paul revealed that the nanny suffered numerous broken bones that included fractured ribs and a fractured sternum.

The victim informed police that she had originally worked for a wealthy family in Shanghai. According to Star Tribune, she was treated well at the time and was eventually invited to provide her services for Huang’s family in Woodbury. She moved to the U.S. in late March to work for the family on a visa.

Things went south from there as the nanny was forced to work 18-hour days with numerous responsibilities that involved child care, cleaning and cooking. Her monthly compensation of $890, breaks down to roughly $1.80 per hour. Unfortunately, she said she did not receive any of it.

The nanny, who doesn’t speak English, suffered under terrible living conditions while being held captive in Huang’s household. She was regularly beaten by Huang who slammed her head on tables and other objects. On one occasion, she received a severe beating in front of Huang’s children and was forced to crawl her way around the house.

The nanny’s diet was also appalling, claiming to have been fed a strict diet of “scraps” and crackers. She purportedly loss 40 pounds and currently weighs 88 pounds. The victim wanted to leave as the assaults continued, but Huang’s husband confiscated her passport and told her, “she was not going anywhere.”

Police officers found the nanny wandering the street at night in search of an airport to return home to China. She had blackened eyes and photos on her cellphone showing cuts, scrapes and bruises on her body, head and face.

Authorities searched Huang’s property and discovered a bag of hair under the nanny’s mattress. Huang allegedly ripped the hair from the 58-year-old victim’s head. The nanny hid it so that Huang would not find it and “force her to eat it.”

Huang was later arrested at her Woodbury residence by police from four cities and agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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