Category: States
Woman in Citra facility arrested on charges of human trafficking
The 40-year-old woman at a treatment center in Marion County has been taken into custody on a warrant from another county for two counts of human trafficking. Mekisha Lashaun Russ is alleged to have involved an 8-year-old girl in Tampa, Fl.
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South Florida sex-trafficking victim tells her terrifying story
Within hours, she said, she was being told to have sex with strangers for money. Thomas and an accomplice, Shanteria Sanders, gave her the drug Molly, a form of the amphetamine MDMA, marijuana and liquor to keep her compliant.
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154 arrested during undercover Florida prostitution, human trafficking sting
One suspect 34-year-old James Michels of Polk County, FL. traveled to meet with an undercover detective posing as a 14-year-old boy. Michels was HIV-positive yet told the undercover detective that he was not, and that he wanted to have unprotected sex.
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Woman accused of sex trafficking, child abuse involving girl
The arrest report says the “11 year old girl” wore a tight-fitting dress and black high heels and had condoms in her purse. It also says she acknowledged smoking and drinking with the accused perpetrator 40 year old Gigi Mitchell in Las Vegas, NV. casinos.
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3 men from W. Pa. among 16 arrested in child sex sting
The arrests were made as part of an undercover sting, the second this year in the Youngstown, PA. area. The investigation was by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force led to the arrests of 16 in all.
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One Voice Home in Lubbock to offer help to minors saved from sex trafficking
The local home will be for girls age 11 to 18. There will be 12 beds available, but they’ll start off helping a handful of girls at first.
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Super Bowls can be a magnet for prostitution and human trafficking. $1 million campaign will fight that in South Florida.
“You’re going to have tens of thousands of extra people in your city,” Fernandez Rundle said. “My office wants to make sure we’re ready. Our concern is that a lot of predators will bring other dancers and their victims that work in strip clubs. We have seen that with other major destinations.”
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Undertow of exploitation: How teens get trapped in human trafficking
Edie Rhea is a survivor of sex trafficking. Her formative years were largely spent being sold for sex by her mother’s boyfriend. It began when she was 10 and lasted until she was 17 years old. Brook Bello, like Rhea, experienced sexual abuse before being forced into sex trafficking.Their stories of rape and assault are not unique among survivors.
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TAMPA BAY HUMAN TRAFFICKING TASK FORCE FORMED
Members of the task force will work collectively to improve upon the detection, investigation, prosecution, and victim assistance efforts in human trafficking matters throughout the Tampa Bay area.
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The Essence of Evil: Sex with Children Has Become Big Business in America
“Human trafficking—the commercial sexual exploitation of American children and women, via the Internet, strip clubs, escort services, or street prostitution—On average, a child might be raped by 6,000 men during a five-year period of servitude. This evil is on its way to becoming one of the worst crimes in the U.S.,” said prosecutor Krishna Patel.
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Minnesota man charged with running sex trafficking ring from behind bars
Daniel David Ellington, 38, was charged in Washington County on two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of promotion of prostitution, according to a news release Thursday, May 16, from County Attorney Pete Orput.
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Human trafficking is predatory exploitation
ccording to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “human trafficking” is the second largest criminal industry in the world (just behind drug trafficking) and continues to be the fastest growing. More than 30 million people are enslaved worldwide, roughly half of whom are children.
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Hospital staff find themselves on the front lines of war on human trafficking
Hospitals across Delaware are joining forces in a unique, new initiative to combat human trafficking. Medical professionals in the First State have adopted a set of guidelines to help better identify victims and provide a safe space for those seeking help.
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East Lake firefighter faces human trafficking, child sex crime charges
Matthew Doyle, 39, was arrested by FDLE agents in Spring Hill, FL. He faces charges of human trafficking, lewd and lascivious behavior on a victim between 12 and 16 years old and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
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He was targeted for human trafficking through his mom. Now, he shares his story to help others.
Corporal Alan Wilkett said boys rarely admit or identify themselves as human trafficking victims. He said that’s often discovered by law enforcement after they’re picked up for other crimes.
“So it may be shoplifting or a drug charge or it could be a trespass,” Wilkett said.
‘Human-Trafficking, Homicide, Homelessness, & Hunger’ Stacey Spencer, Encouragement Expert, Featured Keynote Speaker for the Attorney General’s National Crime Prevention Conference, Tampa May 2019
Stacey Spencer the original founder of a non-profit organization named Teen Tyme Productions & the “Just Teens” television show which is a news-informational-educational show dedicated to empowering youth by showcasing their talents and providing forums on issues that are important to them.
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He was targeted for human trafficking through his mom. Now, he shares his story to help others.
Corporal Alan Wilkett heads the human trafficking division of the Pasco County, FL. Sheriff’s Office.
Wilkett said boys rarely admit or identify themselves as human trafficking victims.
Corporal Alan Wilkett heads the human trafficking division of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
15 arrested, 9 rescued in Bell County sex trafficking sting
The three-day anti-sex trafficking operation was started on May 6 by the Bell County, TX. Special Crimes unit and several other agencies. Officers targeted people wanting to buy sex and those orchestrating sex operations, Sheriff Eddie Lang said.
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‘I’m a monster’: Utah woman convicted of human trafficking faces first parole hearing
Lynnsie Reddish, 22, and Terrance Chavez Jones, 32, were sentenced to one to 15 years each in the Utah State Prison for their convictions of human trafficking. Prosecutors say the couple recruited women who were typically battling drug addiction or who were homeless and would use their drug addiction as a way to control them, providing drugs when they made money working as prostitutes, and withholding drugs when they failed to comply.
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Florida may soon have a prostitution registry for pimps and johns
Gov. Ron DeSantis could soon sign legislation that creates a statewide registry for pimps and johns in an effort to crack down on human trafficking. But Florida officials are not stopping there.
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Brian Folks convicted of sex and drug trafficking in forcing and coercing heroin addicted women to prostitute
Twenty witnesses testified for the government, including eight women, most of whom were addicted to drugs and worked in his sex and/or drug trafficking business. Two additional victims died of drug overdoses prior to trial.
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2 programs aim to help Flint students from becoming prey of human traffickers
“They have fed on our community for years because” of destitution, Clack said. “It’s because of economic conditions.”
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Officials look to crack down on human trafficking
“As I always say, every issue does not necessarily need a law if people are willing to take on these issues voluntarily,” Attorney General Ashley Moody, who chairs the statewide Council on Human Trafficking, said Friday during a meeting of the panel.
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Nebraska may take new steps to prosecute human traffickers
Traffickers who sell women and children for sex in Nebraska could have their phones tapped by law enforcement and face prosecution years or even decades after their crimes under a sweeping new bill set for legislative debate.
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Alleged victim speaks out on terrifying encounter with human trafficking suspects
Kyasha Tisdale and Doriun Thompson of Colorado Springs, CO. were arrested Thursday on numerous charges, including kidnapping, harassment and false imprisonment. “I want justice served, says the alleged victim. Tisdale was on probation in connection to a 2018 case where she was charged with attempted human trafficking of a child for sexual servitude, attempted pimping and pandering.
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Trafficking survivors call for more US government support
Survivor-run groups that combat human trafficking need more support from the US Government so they can operate on a level playing field with larger agencies, an advisory council said last week.
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Group Home Supervisor Sentenced to 10 Years for Sex Trafficking Minor
In March and April 2017, Reysean Williams, 28, with the assistance of Leonardo Gomes, 20, of Pawtucket, RI.
repeatedly sex-trafficked a missing 17-year-old girl in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and on Long Island, New York, by posting advertisements and pictures of the teenager on the website “Backpage.com”.
Human trafficking victims recount tales of being forced into modern-day slavery: ‘It was a living hell’
“[The] average person seems to think it’s a foreign national who’s come from really far away… But the truth of the matter is in the years that I’ve worked with survivors of trafficking over 90 percent are U.S. citizens…”
— Andrea Powell, Katana Rising
Human trafficking survivor: ‘We’re the girls you find dead in rivers and dumpsters’
rafficking survivors who spoke to news.com.au in Louisville on the eve of this year’s derby revealed they had collectively been buried in the ground by a trafficker, “raped up to 30 times a night”, locked in a box, thrown out of cars, viciously beaten and repeatedly threatened with murder.
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Former coach in Stafford picks up charges involving two more students
Delvin Ladon Jackson, 37, of Stafford County, VA. was indicted this month on nine felony charges, including five counts of soliciting prostitution and four counts of taking indecent liberties with a child.
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Why Victims Of Human Trafficking Often Don’t Speak Out
But those men shared one commonality with the stereotypical trafficking victim, according to Krishna Patel, former deputy chief of the National Security and Major Crimes Unit in the District of Connecticut. Vulnerability is at the root of it,” Patel explained.
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Woman arrested in Colorado Springs with alleged ties to attempted human trafficking
“Queen” was on probation in connection to a 2018 case where she was charged with attempted human trafficking of a child for sexual servitude, attempted pimping and pandering.
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Former volleyball coach avoids jail time for sex crime with player
A Tuscon, AZ. man who was a high school volleyball coach will avoid jail time after having been convicted of having sex with one of his players. The roommate of Robert Forman II roommate became suspicious that she might be an underage student player as well as the victim’s parents then saw their daughter leaving Forman’s house.
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Syracuse pimp of underage girls gets astronomical sex offender rating
Eric Oliver, 35 of Syracuse,N.Y. became the poster-child for the state’s tough sex trafficking law that went into effect shortly before his 2013 arrest. The law was written to cover what had been previously considered street-level pimping of prostitutes. His crimes related to the sex trafficking of at least four underage girls ended up with an astronomical sex offender rating today.
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S.A. strip club license canceled in fallout from human trafficking investigation, authorities say
The 16-year-old victim told authorities that Eric Taylor, 24 had cooked up fake documents that landed her jobs at strip clubs in San Antonio, TX. Detectives said Taylor forced the girl into sex and made as much as $1,000 a day off her. He is also accused of pimping out 10 other women, some of whom are runaways and juveniles.
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ICE HSI Boston investigation brings 10-year prison sentence in Rhode Island child sex trafficking case
A supervisor at a group home contracted by the Rhode Island Department of Children Youth and Families (RI DCYF) who repeatedly sex-trafficked a missing 17-year-old girl was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
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A growing number of states call porn a public health crisis
The Arizona Senate approved a resolution this week calling for a systemic effort to prevent exposure to porn that’s increasingly accessible to younger kids online.
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Sex trafficking survivor shows how to help victims at Cline Library event
Sex trafficking can be a hard issue to approach in a community, but it is not impossible, according to two members of ARISE Project for Humanity, founder Williamson Sintyl and board member Coco Berthmann while at a Northern Arizona University event. Berthmann, now 25, said if she had not escaped her life of being trafficked for sex, she would be dead.
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Hidden in Plain Sight: Massage Parlors Selling Sex in Massachusetts
They are near pizza shops, coffee shops and schools — massage parlors that are offering more than just a massage. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says they are in the business of selling sex.
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California man admits trafficking underage girls on Backpage.com
Ariel Guizar-Cuellar, 38 of Los Angeles, CA. ran a criminal ring that trafficked underage girls on the now-defunct sex website Backpage.com pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a string of federal charges.
This website was seized by federal agents in 2018 as part of a wide-ranging investigation into prostitution and child sex trafficking.
In Kentucky Derby sex trafficking case, police tout emphasis on recovery for women
Four arrests were made this weekend in connection with a Louisville Metro Police investigation into human trafficking during the Kentucky Derby Festival, but none of them were “women.”
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Posters with resources for human trafficking victims required in Missouri
The posters are required to be placed in or near bathrooms in hotels, airports, train and bus stations, urgent care centers, emergency rooms, strip clubs, women’s health centers, abortion facilities, family planning clinics, truck stops, roadside rest areas and more.
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Bill classifies strip clubs as adult theater so state can regulate them, protect children
Strip clubs will be classified as adult theaters to ensure they’ll be regulated by the state under a legislative crackdown aimed at preventing human trafficking. Bill classifies strip clubs as adult theater so state can regulate them, protect childrenStuart Rep. Toby Overdorf co-sponsored House Bill 851 and added the adult-theater classification, in part to ensure strip club owners don’t hire underage employees.
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Arrests made at Derby for sex trafficking
It’s a problem LMPD keeps their eye on all year long but especially during the Kentucky Derby. After an uncover sting, police found a number of men looking to buy sex from underage girls. See video…
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Music festival held in Grand Rapids to fight sex trafficking
“I’ve always felt that my career in music, it just had to have something to do with human rights and meeting concrete human needs as much as I could,” Kayla Green, the festival organizer said.
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Graham couple wanted on charges of kidnapping, forcing person into prostitution
Christopher Gray Stevenson 27-year-old and 28-year-old Amanda Lynn Starr of Graham, N.C. both held a person against their will and forced them to engage in prostitution. Both are wanted on charges of kidnapping, forced sexual servitude, and promoting prostitution for profit.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit at 336-570-6777…
Editorial: Keep up efforts to fight human trafficking involving children
The “runaways.”
The “throwaways.”
That’s who the sex traffickers prey upon. It’s these children their customers seek out. It’s these children who suffer the physical and emotional pain that, if they survive, will follow them throughout their lives.
Eight charged in human trafficking sting
“Our state has consistently been ranked among the best in the nation for its approach to this crime, as a growing number of advocates — from law enforcement to nonprofits to government agencies,” the TBI website states.
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Sex Trafficking Survivor Escaped a Life of Abuse to Advocate for Victims
Coco Berthmann: I was trafficked for the first 15 years of my life by my own family. By the age of 15 I was able to escape. Initially, I didn’t know I was trafficked because it was my normal.
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Police: Pimp withheld drugs, food from sex trafficking victims
Jameel Muhammad of Delaware faces drug charges and human trafficking charges. The victims said Muhammad took them across state lines and offered them drugs, clothing, phones and food in exchange for sex work faces drug charges and human trafficking charges.
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Facebook, Instragram to fight sex trafficking lawsuit in Houston court
Lawyers for Facebook and Instagram are in a Harris County courtroom Friday morning attempting to dismiss two civil cases that accuse the social media giants of not protecting victims of sex trafficking.
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North Phoenix man arrested for sexual conduct with an underage autistic girl
FBI arrested Alan Bryant, 46 for sexual conduct with a 16-year-old girl with autism and a second victim also asserts that Bryant offered him money for sex when he was 13-years-old.
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Human trafficking, drug charges part of indictments for two from Las Cruces, New Mexic
Silvia Cabeza de Baca, 36, and Efren Morales, 35, both of Las Cruces, New Mexico, were indicted on one count each of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, possession of methamphetamine and endangering a child, five counts of trafficking of a person and five counts of smuggling of persons.
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Ex-youth coach accused of sexually exploiting more than 400 boys gets 180-year sentence
Greg Stephen, a prominent of Monticello, Iowa basketball coach was sentenced Thursday to 180 years in prison for soliciting explicit images, capturing secret nude video and photos and inappropriately touching hundreds of boys over the course of almost two decades.
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Sex & Massage Parlors
Congressman Matt Gaetz pointed out there are an estimated 9,000 illicit massage parlors in the U.S.–more than Starbucks’ 8,222 locations. In 2018, Florida had 376 cases of human trafficking reported to the national hotline. Only California (760) and Texas (455) had more.
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Child Predator Looking to Leave Colorado
Jorge Yon Jorge Yon is accused of soliciting for child prostitution appeared in court to argue his bond. When Yon was arrested on this charge, he was already on probation for drug charges. Yon is hoping to be granted a PR bond so that he can leave the state and live with his Mother in Arizona. was already on probation for drug charges. Yon is hoping to be granted a PR bond so that he can leave the state and live with his Mother in Arizona.
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Arrest Made in Transportation for Illegal Sexual Activity and Racketeering Offenses
Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in D.C. have announced an arrest has been made in reference to Transportation for Illegal Sexual Activity and Racketeering offenses involving juveniles.
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The Essence of Evil: Sex with Children Has Become Big Business in America
“Children are being targeted and sold for sex in America every day.”—John Ryan, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Children, young girls—some as young as 9 years old—are being bought and sold for sex in America. The average age for a young woman being sold for sex is now 13 years old. Holly Austin Smith was abducted when she was 14 years old, raped, and then forced to prostitute herself. Her pimp, when brought to trial, was only made to serve a year in prison.
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Memphis woman arrested, children rescued in undercover prostitution sting
Taysha Jackson of Memphis, TN. was arrested and charged with three counts of trafficking for a commercial sex act. Three children were also rescued as part of an undercover sting operation
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Man Arrested in Connection to Child Prostitution
Twenty-six-year-old Danny Garcia is facing multiple felony counts after responding to a fake Facebook profile of a 16-year-old girl, created by a Colorado Springs detective.
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Florida man imprisoned for trafficking girl, 14, via Backpage.com
Jeffrey Farrell Davis, 36, who taught middle school in a Gainesville, Florida was among the men who responded to ads on Backpage.com offering a 14-year-old girl for sex. The child was delivered to so-called johns at homes and motels across north central Florida. Davis has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
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Man pleads guilty to human trafficking, faces 4 1/2 years in prison
Jerome Edison, 49, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Hartford to a single count of human trafficking. Under his plea agreement, he’ll be sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended after he serves 4 1/2 years, and five years of probation.
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Georgia Sex Trafficker Gets 21 Years
“This defendant showed a complete disregard for the women he entrapped into sex trafficking,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, GA.. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners made this case a priority and were successful in getting Obie off our community’s streets, despite his efforts to circumvent the charges against him by intimidating his victims.”
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Local nurse educating others on signs of human trafficked victims
Lee County, FL. Health is working with Christy’s Cause to educate medical professionals on the signs of human trafficking victims. It all started when an ER nurse noticed an increased number of human trafficking victims.
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Massage parlors still overlooked in fight against human trafficking, advocates say
In the absence of strong regulation and enforcement, advocates say, sex-trafficking networks have increasingly turned to massage and related fields as a front for illicit businesses that operate in plain sight out of storefronts.
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Man facing child prostitution charges in Colorado Springs
The arrest came following an investigation by the Vice and Human Trafficking Unit. The 26-year-old Daniel Garcia of Colorado Springs, CO. was reportedly using a “well-known” social media platform according to police.
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Man sentenced to 12 years for sex trafficking 15-year-old in Newark
Harry Eugene Rivers Jr., 29 of Delaware will spend 12 years in prison for forcing a 15-year-old girl to have sex with men at motels in Newark and Elkton, Md. He was sentenced in federal court Friday after pleading guilty to sex trafficking earlier this year. He could have faced up to life in prison.
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Man arrested on several child prostitution charges
Daniel Garcia, 26, faces charges of Soliciting for Child Prostitution, Attempted Inducement of Child Prostitution, Attempted Keeping a Place of Child Prostitution, Attempt to Patronize a Prostituted Child, and Obscenity.
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‘The Porn Industry Is Modern-Day Slavery’: How Pornography and Sex Trafficking Are Linked
One former porn actress testified, “Women are lured in, coerced and forced to do sex acts they never agreed to do… [and given] drugs and alcohol to help get [them] through hardcore scenes…The porn industry is modern-day slavery.”
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Only 6 weeks out of prison, Tri-Cities man again is accused of sex trafficking a teen girl
Booked into the Benton County, WA. jail as a “contract inmate,” Jesus Rodriguez 27, just finished serving a one-year-nine-month term for similar charges involving a different girl. If convicted in federal court, he faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison for the online enticement and child sex trafficking charges. The child pornography charge carries a sentence of 5 to 20 years.
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Florida House passes bill on teaching human trafficking
The vote was 112-0 Thursday for the bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Patricia Williams of Fort Lauderdale and Republican Rep. Rene Plasencia of Titusville, FL. The measure would include human trafficking in the health classes currently taught in Florida public schools.
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Operation Home Alone: 16 arrested in New Jersey child sex predator sting
“Parents need to know that the profiles of underage girls and boys we posted on social media to catch these offenders could easily have been profiles of their own children, who might also be targeted by predators on chat apps and popular gaming sites,” New Jersey A.G. Gurbir Grewal said.
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Man allegedly ran human trafficking, prostitution ring out of parents’ Long Island basement
Prosecutors say 47-year-old Raymond Rodio III trafficked as many as 22 women between 2014 and February of this year, holding some of the women by force in a basement. They say he would set up dates with men in the basement or in motels around Suffolk County and that he often kept the women’s money and gave them heroin and crack cocaine instead.
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‘No more’: Human trafficking awareness campaign coming to Craig
“We’ve seen human trafficking victims here in our own community,” said Craig Police Department Sgt. Cory Wagner at a Craig City Council meeting Tuesday, April 23. “The most common type of trafficker is a family member.” Human trafficking — the use of force, fraud, or coercion to lure victims into enslaved labor or commercial sexual exploitation.
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A Second Chance for Trafficking Survivors: Advocates Work to Clear Their Records
These criminal records can include prostitution charges from police that didn’t understand their situation or arrests for thefts that their traffickers demanded using coercion and control tactics.
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Not For Sale: Atlanta Sex Trafficker Sentenced To 21 Years
U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak said, “Sex trafficking exploits and traumatizes some of the most vulnerable members of our society. We are sending a clear message to those seeking to engage in this type of criminal activity: you will be caught and prosecuted.”
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Local deputy awarded for dedication to fighting human trafficking
“The support of my administration and the strength of the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition is having an impact, not only in Central Texas, but throughout the state,” Det. Joseph Scaramucci told KWTX.
Scaramucci was the keynote speaker at the fundraising luncheon at the Austin Country Club in Austin, TX. Within one hour, the event raised more than $300,000.
Human trafficking happens across the United States. This survivor says she knows how to end it.
Theresa was blackmailed into prostitution as a teenager by men who had explicit photos of her. “When I learned what had happened to me was called human trafficking and that I wasn’t the only one – that there are hundreds of thousands of ‘Theresa’s’ out there, I couldn’t keep silent anymore.”
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Officials: Most teen victims of human trafficking are recruited at schools
“Backwards,” she said. “We have to change it to where men are bearing the brunt of the penalty for buying and selling human beings. They are walking away without being held legally, financially accountable for the harm to individuals and the community.”
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If You Think You Know Childhood Risk, You’re Probably Wrong
A Kansas woman claimed on Facebook that she felt an encounter with a stranger was an attempt to lure her daughter into the world of sex trafficking, according to Fox6News Now.
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Utah man accused of kidnapping, raping child, forcing her into prostitution
Ryan MacFarlane, 47, of Salt Lake City, UT. is facing the following charges:
* Human trafficking of a child, first-degree felony
* Aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony
* Rape, a first-degree felony
* Forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony
* Object rape, a first-degree felony
* Aggravated exploitation of prostitution involving a child, a first-degree felony
The victim is only 16 years old.
Nine arrested in county-wide minor sexual exploitation sting
“These appalling individuals are predators who sexually prey on our youth. They are the filth of our society and every effort will be made to ensure these monsters are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Sheriff Doug Schuster of Kingman, AZ. said in a press release.
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Human trafficking cases initiated in federal court dropped 29% last year
Human trafficking cases initiated in fed court dropped 29% last yr. This survivor has a message for people who think it’s not happening here: “I was trafficked in Jacksonville in the year 2013 for about nine months… It’s definitely happening in Jacksonville.” said Jenna Bourne
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Kentucky Derby a magnet for human trafficking, officials warn
Human traffickers are likely to prey on vulnerable young women and children at this year’s Kentucky Derby, state and local officials warned on Monday, and urged spectators to be alert to people with matching tattoos or branding marks.
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18 arrested for seeking sex with kids under age 14
A collaborative law enforcement operation between Lathrop Police Services, the San Joaquin County, CA. Sheriff’s Office and the Manteca Police Department back in February yielded nine arrests of people attempting to engage in sexual contact with a minor less than 14 years of age. Ages of suspects range from 12 yrs old to 61 yrs old.
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Equipping parents, children to be safe online
Kim Smith said parents need to monitor their children’s online activity and social media accounts until they are able to handle it appropriately. Things like knowing who children are interacting with online, adjusting children’s account settings to private and meeting children’s online friends in real life are measures which can prepare and inform children of the potential dangers.
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Ohio state trooper rescues human trafficking victim
During the stop, OSHP says the officer noticed a young female riding with an older male. Neither the girl or the man had identification on them or spoke English. Police say it was confirmed that the man had forced the girl to perform acts on him and that the girl was being taken to Chicago from New Jersey.
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Local author turns life around after traumatic childhood
“I was born in great sin and that sin followed me for many years of my life,” said Sandra Richardson of Milwaukee, WI. As an early victim of human-trafficking Richardson recalls, “I could have gotten killed but God covered me because He knew I didn’t know better.”
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2 men sentenced for sex trafficking in the Columbus area
Two Columbus, OH. men were sentenced for their roles in sex trafficking dozens of women in the Columbus area. Curtis Gossett was sentenced to 13 years in prison, while Jeffrey Bagley received 10 years. Their charges included engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
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Mercer anti-trafficking group finds 1 in 9 students has sold themselves for sex
Experts say one out of every nine Middle Georgia ninth graders admits they know someone who has been sold for sex. Traffick Jam quickly grew. Dr. Tammy Crutchfield with Mercer University said since its inception in 2015, students have educated over 3,000 Middle Georgia high schoolers.
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El Salvadoran man illegally in U.S. sentenced for sexually exploiting women in northern Virginia
“Bonilla-Hernandez profited from the sexual exploitation of women who found themselves in difficult and vulnerable places,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney. “The tears, pain, and mental anguish expressed by the victims in this case is heartbreaking.” El Salvadoran “Bonilla-Hernandez is in the United States illegally was sentenced to more than two years in prison for running an illegal commercial sex business.
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SUTHERLIN MAN ARRESTED IN CHILD PROSTITUTION STING
Detectives said Warren agreed to meet the girl in the vicinity of a local high school and was arrested by the street crimes unit. Warren is in the Lane County Jail and faces a charge of first-degree online sexual corruption of a child.
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Juveniles account for majority of human trafficking victims in La. in 2018
Juveniles accounted for 428 of the overall 744 confirmed victims of human trafficking reported in Louisiana in 2018. Forty-two of those victims were age 12 or younger. Forty-two victims identified in 2018 were age 12 or younger, down from 72 victims reported in 2017. The reported ages for all victims ranged from 5 months to 65 years old.
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Stations of the Cross for Sex Trafficking Survivors takes the burden from victims
The Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City has became more than a transit hub – it became a site of prayer and activism that connected the Stations of the Cross to the plight of sex trafficking victims.
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Doctor charged with paying 14-year-old boy for sex
An Attleboro, Mass. doctor Sujan Kayastha, 37 was in court Thursday on several charges, including trafficking of a person for sexual servitude, possession of child pornography, and two counts each of electronic enticement of a child for prostitution, paying a minor for sex and disseminating obscene matter to a child. The boy is 14 years old. Kayastha’s bail was set at only $75,000..
Read MoreHillsborough summer camp staffers may be trained to identify signs of human trafficking
Data shows that Hillsborough County has one of the highest occurrences of human trafficking in the nation, and one county commisioner is trying to shine light on an industry that’s thrived in the shadows. Commissioner Kimberly Overman wants to train Hillsborough County Parks Department’s summer camp staffers on how to spot the tell-tale signs of abuse. and what to do if they suspect something is wrong.
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Officers learn human trafficking takes many forms
A Bay Area nonprofit is helping law enforcement officers look beyond a simple traffic stop or domestic violence call to spot the signs of human trafficking.
Officers don’t have to be in a special trafficking unit to learn what to look for to spot a potential victim using a new, free online certification program through U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. It covers human trafficking in the forms of labor, sex, cyber, forced marriage and servitude. It was created to be accessible for all law enforcement officers.
Read MoreSuspect in prostitution bust charged with child abuse
A woman arrested in Allentown last week on prostitution charges is also facing accusastions in a three-year-old child abuse case.
Allentown police arrested Lisette M. Mercado at a Super 8 motel last Friday during a prostitution sting. Authorities discovered an arrest warrant issued by the Easton Police Department in March 2016 against the 26-year-old, who was accused of drunkenly punching her 2-year-old daughter in the face.
Elmira man arrested after getting caught in child prostitution sting
An Elmira man was arrested on Monday after detectives working a child prostitution sting found him posing online as a teen girl.
The man, identified as Charles Burke Niemeyer, responded to the posting and made an agreement to meet the “girl” who had identified herself as a 15 year old in the vicinity of a local high school.
East Brunswick rabbi pleads guilty to sex trafficking
An East Brunswick rabbi, who is registered as a sex offender, has pleaded guilty to paying to have sex with an underage victim. Rabbi Aryeh Goodman of East Brunswick pleaded guilty to interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises in connection with soliciting prostitution with a minor, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney, District of New Jersey.
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