Did San Mateo couple enslave nanny in work, or are allegations ‘absurd’?

San Mateo couple Qi Li and Jie Xu are accused of labor trafficking a nanny from China, forcing her to work seven days a week up to 20 hours a day, withholding pay, and threatening her with a kitchen knife. The couple pleaded not guilty and posted $250,000 bail, with their attorney calling the allegations 'absurd.'

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...SAN MATEO — A San Mateo couple is accused of working a nanny that came to them from China seven days a week and up to 20 hours per day while also withholding her pay in what prosecutors are calling a case of labor trafficking. The case against 37-year-old Qi Li and 39-year-old Jie Xu also carries an allegation that on one occasion, Li held a kitchen knife to the 53-year-old victim’s neck, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. All of it centers on what happened after Li and Xu obtained the services of a nanny from China, where Li and Xu both are citizens. The nanny was a Chinese citizen who found the job through an employment agency in that country, according to District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe. Li and Xu both are Chinese citizens who worked in the United States through the the proper work visas, according to Xu’s attorney Chris Morales. Wagstaffe said the nanny worked for them from June 26, 2024, to Aug. 21, 2024. Both have pleaded not guilty. Wagstaffe said they each posted their $250,000 bail and are out of custody. “They’re brilliant high-tech people. Two master’s degrees,” Morales said. “They work in high tech. They’re super-well educated, fluent in Mandarin and English. Their daughter was born here, and they brought in a nanny from China to tend to the needs of the family. It’s traditional.” Attorney Adam Gasner is defending Li. He did not return multiple calls from this news organization seeking comment. According to Wagstaffe, Li and Xu met their eventual nanny via video, after which they agreed to have her obtain a work visa and take care of their 9-month old daughter for six months. Wagstaffe said that care turned into seven-day work weeks in which the nanny also was expected to do all of the housework. Among the other accusations, according to Wagstaffe: The nanny had to hold the baby while the baby napped; Li and Xu did not allow the nanny to go outside without supervision and contstantly berated her; the couple demanded her passport; and they refused to pay her. “I don’t believe that the nanny who is the accuser was truthful with police,” Morales said. “She got paid on time. There was one time at the very end, when police arrested our client that she didn’t get her paycheck because our client was in jail.” Wagstaffe said that when the baby became sick on Aug. 14, 2024, Li became infuriated and held a kitchen knife to the victim’s neck. Three days later, the baby went to Stanford Hospital, and Wagstaffe said the victim told hospital staff how she’d been treated. The staff then contacted police, Wagstaffe said. “She’s made ridiculous statements, just absurd,” Morales said. “We’re looking forward to the jury trial.” The two sides next are in court on July 17 for a trial readiness conference and for jury assignment.