An American mother is facing up to five years in an Emirati jail after she allegedly insulted her employer in a text message during a dispute over unpaid wages.

Nichole Coffel, from Kansas City, Missouri, was arrested and charged in Abu Dhabi after her boss and renowned jockey, Anoud Sultan Al Suwaidi, claimed the mom sent her an offensive WhatsApp message.

Coffel, 45, who served as the COO of Al Suwaidi's equestrian club, alleged she had been stiffed out of three months of pay and was also seeking compensation for an injury she sustained after being bitten by one of the horses.

In an attempt to persuade Al Suwaidi, she said she referred to the failure to pay her as 'haram', an Arabic word meaning 'forbidden.'

But Al Suwadi later complained to police that Coffel had written the word, 'harami', a highly offensive word which translates to 'thief' or 'bastard'.

Detained: American mom Nichole Coffel (pictured) was arrested and charged under the UAE's cybercrime laws after allegedly sending an insulting message to her boss and renowned jockey Anoud Sultan Al Suwaidi

The 45-year-old, who moved to the country three years ago, was working as the COO of Al Suwaidi's equestrian club and claimed she had been stiffed out of three months' worth of pay. She is pictured far left with Al Suwaidi (center)

Coffel, 45, was later arrested and charged under the UAE's cybercrime laws which considers insulting others through electronic means a serious crime.

The mother-of-three was held for four hours at an Abu Dhabi police station where she was quizzed by police officers without a translator.

She was finally released when the U.S. Embassy stepped in to help.

But Coffel has been told she is not allowed to leave the country until the charge is dropped or she appears in court.

'They would not even provide me with a translator when they interviewed me until the embassy arranged for them to provide one remotely,' she said.

'But still they paid no attention to what I had to say. All I did was ask for my salary and for help covering the cost of medical bills after Anoud's horse bit me.

'Now I'm told I could be jailed for five years. It is so scary.'

Coffel's case has since been taken up by Detained in Dubai, a campaign group that assists foreigners who have been charged in the UAE.

CEO Radha Stirling told DailyMail.com Coffel's message was 'calculatedly' misinterpreted to deflect from the fact that she is owed money.

Al Suwaidi is a well known figure in Abu Dhabi and one of their most famous female jockeys

When contacted by DailyMail.com, she said she had agreed to drop the charge and that next week's scheduled court hearing would not take place - however, the charge is still listed online

'Nichole did not threaten or insult Ms. Al Suwadi, she simply asked to be paid for her work and for her injuries,' she said.

'Nichole's request for payment was calculatedly misconstrued in order to fit the UAE's opaque definition of a cybercrime violation and to distract from Ms. Al Suwadi's own responsibility to pay Nichole's wages.'

Coffel, who moved to the country three years ago, said she sent the message because she had racked up hefty medical bills after undergoing three operations for a deep wound in her shoulder.

Although she was the COO at Al Suwaidi's equestrian center, Coffel was helping out at the stables when the incident took place.

'In any dispute, it is natural to assume that there are valid grievances on both sides; but this case involved three specific things: Nichole was not paid, Nichole was injured, and Nichole was unjustly charged with a crime for asking her employer for rightful compensation,' Stirling added.

'We have been in communication with the complainant and she appears to not want to see Nichole actually prosecuted; but has yet to formally withdraw the charges.

'Anoud promised to pay Nichole her wages many times, but never followed through. We hope that this will not be the case with her assurances about her intention to drop the charges.'

Al Suwaidi is a well known figure in Abu Dhabi and one of their most famous female jockeys.

Coffel, pictured with her family, was also seeking compensation for an injury she sustained when she was bitten by one of Al Suwaidi's horses

Coffel, who moved to the country three years ago from Kansas City, Missouri, plans to leave immediately once her passport is returned

When contacted by DailyMail.com, she said she had agreed to drop the charge and that next week's scheduled court hearing would not take place.

However, the charge against Coffel was still listed for a hearing on the Abu Dhabi court website.

Al Suwaidi said: 'She entered my stable and pulled out an untamed horse, and attempted to train him while knowing that upon entry to the stable the signs and safety briefings state that only the trainers and grooms are responsible for my horses and my equestrian club will not be held responsible for any injury. She was bitten and is fighting for compensation.

'I treated her as friend in need, I am still willing to forgive her to set an example for all the sponsored children I care for.'

Coffel said she plans to leave immediately once her passport is returned.

Her 18-year-old son Nick said the situation has taken a toll on the mom.

'She is usually so positive, but this has just got her down,' he said.

'It is crazy that she could be jailed for five years for a message that just one person saw. It is not as if she has gone around bad mouthing her.

'Mom just wants to come home.'

The controversial laws in the UAE came to prominence earlier this year when a British mom faced jail time over a Facebook post where she called her ex-husband's wife a 'horse.'

Laleh Shahravesh, 55, was arrested when she arrived in Dubai to pay her respects to her husband who had recently passed away.

The offending Facebook post had been made while she was living in the UK and posted two years prior to her arrest.

A judge fined Shahravesh $731 (£600) and she was allowed to leave the country.