A 66-year-old writer has been indicted on federal charges that he induced young women from overseas to travel to his Westchester County home so he could sexually abuse them.
The U.S. attorney in Brooklyn said Tuesday that Joseph Yannai, of Pound Ridge, had been charged with forced labor, violation of immigration laws and unlawful employment of aliens.
Yannai, who wrote the "The International Who's Who of Chefs 2004-2005," allegedly offered the women jobs as his assistant.
His lawyer did not immediately return a call.
In March, Yannai was indicted in White Plains, N.Y., on state charges including labor trafficking and sex abuse. Those alleged victims were from Hungary, France and Brazil.
The federal district based in Brooklyn includes the airports in Queens. A spokesman said the use of the airports in the crime gave the Brooklyn court jurisdiction.
