The medical license of Dr Harsha Sahni, an Indian American physician, has been permanently revoked following her conviction for illegally recruiting and harbouring two Indian women as low-paid household servants. Sahni, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to conceal and harbour undocumented immigrants and filing a false tax return, was sentenced in October 2024 to 27 months in prison, according to an announcement on Wednesday by Attorney General Matthew J Platkin and the Division of Consumer Affairs.
Sahni&rsquo;s medical practice had been temporarily suspended since September 2023 while the State pursued administrative action to revoke her license after her criminal plea.
&ldquo;The revocation announced today brings closure to a disturbing case in which a physician sworn to uphold the highest standards of care and compassion exploited and abused vulnerable victims for her own financial gain,&rdquo; Attorney General Platkin said. &ldquo;There is no place in the medical profession for this kind of criminal conduct and utter disregard for humanity.&rdquo;
Cari Fais, Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, added, &ldquo;Dr Sahni&rsquo;s treatment of the women she illegally harboured as cheap labour for her and her family violated the most basic rules of the medical profession and caused her victims unimaginable suffering. Only the permanent revocation of her medical license could adequately protect New Jersey and its residents from the dangers she posed as a practising physician.&rdquo;
In her guilty plea, Sahni admitted that she knowingly harboured the two women&mdash;identified in court documents as victim 1 and victim 2&mdash;for financial gain, causing them to believe they would be arrested and deported if they contacted law enforcement. She acknowledged providing food, clothing, and housing in exchange for their work as housekeepers while paying them far less than the legal rate.
Court records revealed that Sahni instructed the women to falsely claim they were family members visiting the United States as tourists. Despite employing them as household staff, she failed to report their labour or related wages on her personal income tax return.
A verified complaint filed with the Board of Medical Examiners detailed that victim 1, who lived in Sahni&rsquo;s home, was required to work from approximately 7 am to 10 pm for a monthly payment ranging between $240 and $600&nbsp;(roughly ₹20,000&ndash;₹50,000 at today&rsquo;s rate), which Sahni sent to the victim&rsquo;s family in India.
(With agency inputs)

Illegally hired Indian women as cheap house help, made them work 15 hours a day, committed tax fraud

Jailed Indian-Origin Doc Loses Licence

Illegally hired Indian women as cheap house help, made them work 15 hours a day, committed tax fraud

January 9, 2025 | 09:02 IST