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Feb 27, 2008 9:43 am US/Eastern

Haitian Woman To Testify In Slavery Trial

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ― A Haitian woman who claims a Southwest Miami family kept her as a slave for six years is expected to take the stand on Wednesday.

Simone Celestin is expected to testify in federal court in Ft. Lauderdale that at the age of 14-years old she was smuggled from Haiti into Miami. Once in South Florida, she was forced to work 15 hours a day, 7 days a week. On Monday, prosecutors said Evelyn Theodore, her two daughters and a husband of the one of the daughters forced Celestin to cook, clean and do laundry in their homes in Miami and Miramar until the girl escaped in 2005. Celestin was reportedly not allowed to go to school and was beaten if she resisted.

All have pleaded not guilty to various charges including human trafficking and forced labor. Defense attorneys for the family said in opening statements that they are victims of an opportunist looking to get residency in this country.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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