Mauritius Diplomat Fined For Underpaying NJ Help

A diplomat from the island nation of Mauritius has been fined for failing to pay his New Jersey housekeeper minimum wage and overtime.

New Jersey's U.S. Attorney says Somduth Soborun was fined $5,000 in U.S. District Court on Monday and ordered to pay $24,153 in restitution to his former housekeeper.

Soborun is the Republic of Mauritius' ambassador to the United States. He pleaded guilty in September to a count of failing to pay the minimum wage rate to a housekeeper at his former residence in Englewood.

Prosecutors say Soborun's brought a Filipina national to the U.S. on a work visa, paying her $1,000 to do housework on a schedule that was normally 12 hours a day, six days a week, despite a contract to pay her a legal wage.

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