CUMMING - The attorney for a Forsyth County sheriff’s deputy and two of his family members accused of human trafficking says the government got it wrong.

Atlanta attorney Manny Arora, who is representing Russell Garrett, his wife and father, said the charges don’t reflect the character of his clients.

"I think when you talk to the neighbors, when you find out what kind of people the Garretts are, I think the government just made a mistake," Arora said.

Russell Garrett and his wife, Malika Garrett, both of Woodstock, and Garrett’s father, Fulton County Magistrate Judge D. William Garrett Jr., pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges of human trafficking, alien harboring, witness tampering and making false statements.

Arora said he is trying to get "some semblance of normalcy back for them while this process goes on."

"It’s a very difficult time because they’re being accused of a lot of things and being vilified in the press, and they’re doing the best they can," he said.

Russell Garrett, 43, has been suspended with pay from his post in the sheriff’s office courthouse services division. Garrett started work at the sheriff’s office in August 2002. Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said Garrett was placed on leave as soon as authorities learned of the indictment. Garrett also is the subject of an internal investigation.

Garrett’s supervisor, Capt. Chris Barrett, said the deputy’s duties included providing general security for the public and officers of the court.

Barrett said Garrett was notified about three months ago of the investigation and that charges against him would go before a federal grand jury. He said he didn’t think Garrett knew what the investigation was about. Barrett said he was surprised by the charges against Garrett "because he’s a good officer."

"I feel sorry for his family," Barrett said. "But you never know the whole story. People do strange things."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are investigating the case.

If convicted, Russell Garrett faces up to 50 years in prison, according to a report from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. D. William Garrett, 72, could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, while Malika Garrett, 42, faces a maximum of 60 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said in a statement that the case is an "example of alleged domestic servitude of a nanny brought over from India."

The nine-count indictment contends that the defendants conspired in January 2003 to persuade a woman from India to enter the United States under the guise that she would work as a nanny for Russell and Malika Garrett.

Russell and Malika Garrett then stopped paying the woman, restricted her freedom and ability to leave their home and threatened to defame her to her family in India if she refused to work for them, according to the indictment.