Crown in Lauriston and Amber Maloney human trafficking case alleges labor law violation

A woman who claims Lauriston and Amber Maloney exploited her while she lived and worked for the Essa Township couple continued her testimony Wednesday, telling the court she was under control for years.

The complainant, who cannot be identified, told the court she had been in a sexual relationship with the married couple since 2016, sleeping in their bed and caring for their children.

“I was expected to do everything with them when I was asked,” she told the court in Bradford.

The woman said she met Amber on a dating app and fell in love with the married woman over the course of their intimate relationship.

She said Lauriston and Amber were always together and often took her on holidays to Jamaica.

The complainant said she was expected to cook, clean and make drinks for the couple, and told the court that Lauriston, a former bodybuilder, expected her and Amber to join him at the gym every day.

She said Lauriston called her lazy when she didn’t want to train and accused her of not supporting the group dynamic.

“I was so exhausted from work and the constant stress of arguments,” she testified, noting that the couple argued behind closed doors about how Amber cared for their children and the income from Amber’s Beating the Odds autism therapy business.

The complainant testified that Amber paid her to perform various tasks at her autism therapy company, including payroll, hiring, marketing and programming.

She told the court that Lauriston told her to quit her minimum wage jobs, and that Amber paid her when she felt it was deserved, taking into account her room and board.

The Crown called the alleged situation a “blatant violation of the labor law.”

The complainant presented bank records, which showed that Amber Maloney had passed small e-transfer amounts between $20 and $50 to the complainant.

Both Lauriston and Amber Maloney are charged with human trafficking. Amber is also accused of administering a noxious substance, and Lauriston is accused of assault and forcible confinement.