N.Y. Writer Charged With Sex Crimes Admits Suicide Attempt
NEW YORK (CBS 2/AP) -- A suburban New York writer accused of sexually abusing young women he lured from overseas has told a judge he won't commit suicide if released on bail.
Joseph Yannai testified today at a bail hearing in Brooklyn that he had tried to kill himself with sleeping pills earlier this month when federal agents came to arrest him at his home in the suburbs north of the city. He was accused of sex labor trafficking and slavery.
The 66-year-old Yannai told the judge he was feeling hopeless at the time. Since then, he said he has decided he wants to fight the charges.
The judge agreed to release Yannai under house arrest once he posts a $500,000 bond secured by real estate.
Yannai wrote a reference guide called "The International Who's Who of Chefs 2004-2005."
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