The second-highest ranking diplomat at Turkey’s embassy in Washington, D.C., along with his wife, also a diplomat, has been accused of human trafficking, fraud, unjust enrichment, breach of contract and violations of US labor and wage laws, the Nordic Monitor news website reported.
Hüsnü Sinan Ertay, the former deputy chief of mission at Turkey’s embassy in Washington, D.C., and his wife, Anıl Özge Ertay, a diplomatic counselor, are accused of trafficking Sharon Thomas Agdipa from the Philippines to the United States, where she claims she was subjected to forced labor under abusive conditions.
The complaint, filed on May 5 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accuses the couple of failing to pay Agdipa her rightful wages, denying her basic necessities, and threatening her with deportation to control her.
According to the allegations, the Ertays promised Agdipa a job as a nanny with fair wages and a private room in their Washington home, located in a gated community on Embassy Park Drive NW. Agdipa’s lawyers say she arrived in Washington in February 2020, expecting the terms outlined in her employment contract — a 35-hour workweek at $14 an hour. However, the reality was far different.
Agdipa was allegedly forced to work more than 80 hours a week, with her duties extending beyond childcare to cleaning, cooking and even gardening. Despite being on call round the clock to meet the Ertays’ demands, she never received overtime compensation.
The complaint states that although Agdipa was paid her base salary through mobile money transfers, the Ertays regularly forced her to withdraw large sums of cash from her account and hand it back to them. For example, in June 2020, Agdipa was initially paid $1,960 for the month, but was then forced to return $1,350, leaving her with only $610.
Over the course of 15 months, Agdipa claims she was required to return approximately one-third of her wages to the Ertays, amounting to around $9,450. Her lawyers say she endured verbal abuse, was deprived of regular meals and was not allowed to socialize with other nannies. At one point, Agdipa was confined to a windowless basement where she slept, even though her contract promised a private room.
The suit further alleges that the Turkish diplomats interfered when the U.S. State Department’s Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) conducted a standard check to ensure Agdipa was being treated in accordance with the contract. The Ertays allegedly instructed Agdipa to lie to OFM officials about her working conditions, compelling her to falsely claim she was being paid the agreed-upon wages. When U.S. labor laws raised the minimum wage for domestic workers in July 2020, the Ertays issued a revised contract for Agdipa, but the terms of the new contract were never fully honored, according to the lawsuit.
The couple is also accused of making repeated threats to call the police and immigration officials to have Agdipa deported if she complained about the conditions or attempted to leave their employment. The complaint states that the Ertays exploited Agdipa’s vulnerable immigration status and lack of knowledge about US labor laws to maintain control over her.
Agdipa’s attorneys argue that their client suffered both emotionally and physically under the harsh working conditions imposed by the Ertays. She was denied regular meals, prohibited from cooking her own food and was not provided with medical care when needed. The lawsuit also claims that Agdipa was refused sick leave, despite the fact that her contract guaranteed such benefits.
One particularly disturbing allegation describes how Hüsnü Sinan Ertay frequently accessed the basement where Agdipa slept, as it doubled as his makeshift closet and bathroom. The complaint alleges that Ertay forced her to vacate the basement at early morning and late-night hours so he could use the space.
The situation escalated on May 5, 2021, when Agdipa fled the Ertays’ home after an abusive confrontation. Leaving most of her belongings behind, she sought refuge with a Filipina acquaintance in the neighborhood. Afterward, the labor attaché at the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington intervened, referring Agdipa to legal services that helped her remain safe and pursue legal action.
Although the US government was notified when Agdipa testified about the abuse and forced labor, no criminal charges have been filed against the Turkish diplomats. The lawsuit, however, alleges multiple violations, including under the federal Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the D.C. Minimum Wage Revision Act and the D.C. Wage Payment and Collection Law.
The future of the case remains uncertain, particularly because the Ertays, who are no longer posted to Washington, have since returned to senior positions at the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara.