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Interpreter accused of sex slavery
A woman in the country on a tourist visa was abused in Orlando for months, agents say.
Pedro Ruz Gutierrez
Sentinel Staff Writer

June 8, 2006

A court interpreter from the Ukraine has been arrested by federal agents who accuse her of enslaving a Russian woman and forcing her into prostitution in Orlando.

U.S. Magistrate Karla Spaulding on Wednesday ordered Yelena Aleksandrovna Telichenko, 42, also known as Ella Schenkerberg, held without bail until a hearing next week.

Telichenko, who was ordered deported by an immigration judge last year, was arrested only on charges she harbored an illegal alien. Orlando police were called, but the 24-year-old refused to file a report.

She was severely beaten and abused by Telichenko, according to court records.

"[The victim] stated that she was not allowed to leave the apartment unescorted, was brutally beaten over a period of months with a Teflon pot, was forced to engage in prostitution and forced to cook, clean and maintain the apartment," reads an affidavit by Special Agent Wanda McNair of the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At one point, Telichenko offered the victim to a man who introduced them to a pimp, according to the affidavit. She said Telichenko forced her to sleep with men, charging up to $150, to pay for rent and food.

The victim arrived in the United States a year ago on a tourist visa that allowed her to remain here through December. She could be deported as well, but authorities say she may be eligible for a special visa for victims of human trafficking.

Telichenko until recently was a court interpreter, certified in Russian, Polish, Czech and two other languages.

Acting on a tip from the victim's mother in Russia that her daughter was being held against her will, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow relayed her whereabouts to agents here.

When they interviewed her near Mall at Millenia on May 17, agents said, they found her with black eyes, bruises on her face and a healing cut on her forehead. Agents said they saw large marks on her torso and injuries on her back, shoulders, hips, legs, ankles and feet.

At first, she said the injuries were caused by a kidney condition, cancer and a car accident. But after nearly two weeks, she gave a full account of the abuse, court records show.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Don West, assigned to represent Telichenko, said he had no comment.

Pedro Ruz Gutierrez can be reached at pruz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5620.


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