Wichita ? A Kansas couple were indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in Topeka for involuntary servitude for allegedly forcing mentally ill adults to work at their farm, a federal magistrate judge told the couple during a detention hearing in Wichita.

Evidence presented at that hearing provided the first public glimpse into the government’s case against Arlan Kaufman, 68, and his 61-year-old wife, Linda, as well as the Kaufmans’ possible defense. Prosecutor Linda Krigsten said that the Kaufmans, as operators of a residential care facility in Newton, controlled every aspect of the residents’ lives, including how much they weighed, whether they could wear clothing, whether the could smoke, whether they had access to mail or allowances and even if they could sleep in a bed.

The Kaufmans remain jailed until Magistrate Judge Donald Bostwick decides whether they pose a danger to the community and the former residents of the home.

‘Involuntary servitude’

Federal authorities arrested the Kaufmans last week on a criminal complaint alleging that in 1999, they brought residents from the Newton residential care facility to the couple’s farm in Potwin and forced them to work there. The grand jury’s indictment eliminates the need for a preliminary hearing to determine if prosecutors have enough evidence to go to trial. The preliminary hearing had been scheduled for next week.

The Kaufmans are charged under a law that makes it illegal to hold or sell another person into “any condition of involuntary servitude,” which is prohibited by the 13th Amendment banning slavery. Violators can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

At the detention hearing in Wichita on Wednesday, prosecutors painted a grim picture of life for residents at the Kaufman Treatment Center, which the Kaufmans have operated since 1985. About 14 people stayed at the center, which is made up of two Newton homes, during that time, authorities said.

Controlled lives

Krigsten said strict rules prohibited patients from speaking to outsiders about so-called nude therapy sessions, and family and friends were not allowed to visit. Residents’ clothes were taken away if they broke the rules about calling someone such as a lawyer or doctor, she said.

An affidavit also alleges the Kaufmans used a stun gun to shock one resident on his stomach, testicles and feet in front of other residents.

Krigsten said some residents paid as much as $2,000 per month for their stay at the residential care center — money that was paid by their families or Social Security.

Krigsten also noted that 11 days after authorities seized videotapes of nude therapy sessions that depicted sexual acts, the Kaufmans sold their Potwin farm and the two homes in Newton that made up the residential care facility to their children for $3.

Defense arguments

The defense, however, offered the judge a much different version of the couple and the care residents received from the Kaufmans.

Their son, Michael, testified his parents went out of their way to try to create a family environment for the residents at the homes.

“I never saw any evidence of any intimidation or fear,” he said.

He also noted his father was so respected in his social work field that President Carter had once named his father to a commission on aging.

Neva Bell Adamson, an older sister of Arlan Kaufman, testified the couple worked 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the residents.

“They are good, honest people. They have been actively involved in church. They have family ties that are strong,” she said.