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The 103-page report added more shocking revelations into the Calimlim’s treatment of Martinez.
“When the Calimlims had visitors to the house or hosted social events at the Still Point Trail house, they made Martinez stay in her room and did not permit her to leave her room, even to use the bathroom… Martinez had to stay in her room for so long that she awoke with stomach and back pain from lack of access to a bathroom.”
In defense, the Calimlim’s lawyers said that Martinez working, as a maid was not slavery but a living arrangement normal in Philippine culture.
However, the youngest daughter Christina Calimlim testified that a family rule forbade any members of the household to discuss Martinez’s existence with anyone outside of the family.
The DOJ stated that several long-time friends and immediate neighbors of the Calimlims – including the godmothers of two of the Calimlim children – testified that they had no idea that Martinez existed, although she lived with the Calimlim’s for 19 years.
In 2004, Federal Authorities raided the Calimlim’s home after receiving a tip from an ex-wife of one of the Calimlim’s son.
On September 29, 2004, federal agents raided the Calimlim’s home and found Martinez hiding in the closet of her bedroom in the basement, trembling.
The trial lasted a week and half and the jury deliberated for half a day.
“It is a basic and fundamental human right to be free, and no person should ever be forced to live in a world of fear, virtual isolation and servitude,” said Brian Falvey, Resident Agent-in-Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Martinez now lives in a Chicago apartment and works at a perfume store. She was granted a rare visa for victims of severe trafficking cases.
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