Archived News Items
Member of Human Trafficking Ring Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking ChargesOn February 5, 2009, defendant Raul Cortes-Meza, a 21-year-old Mexican national, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, Georgia to sex trafficking of a minor. The guilty plea resulted from charges that Cortes-Meza and a co-conspirator lured the 17-year-old Mexican victim into the United States, provided her to customers for commercial sex acts, and retained the proceeds. Cortes-Meza faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.
Two Individuals Arrested on Federal Sex Trafficking Charges
On February 5, 2009, two defendants were arrested in the Eastern District of Arkansas on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking of juvenile girls and adult women. The victims in both cases were U.S. citizens.
Two Montgomery County Defendants Charged in Human Trafficking Conspiracy
On February 3, 2009, two Montgomery County, Maryland defendants were arrested in the District of Maryland on charges of sex trafficking of minor victims. The defendants are charged with engaging in a scheme to use violence, threats, and illegal drugs to control the victims and compel them to perform commercial sex acts.
Former Deputy & Wife Plead Guilty to Charges Related to Harboring & Expliting Illegal Alien Nanny
Two defendants in a forced labor case recently pled guilty in the Northern District of Georgia to harboring for financial gain in connection with their scheme to hold the victim, an undocumented Indian national, in their home as a domestic servant, using threats of deportation to compel her to continue providing child care first for little pay, and later without pay. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in April.
Bureau of Justice Statistics Releases New Report on Human Trafficking
The report presents findings from the Human Trafficking Reporting System (HTRS). Between January 1, 2007, and September 30, 2008 the HTRS recorded information about more than 1,200 alleged incidents of human trafficking. The HTRS contains data collected by 38 federally funded human trafficking task forces on alleged incidents of human trafficking.
Child Exploitation Convictions Up in 2008
Federal child exploitation convictions rose in western Missouri in 2008, and prosecutors said recently that they hope for even more in 2009. U.S. Attorney John Wood said his office won 49 convictions in cases covered by Project Safe Childhood, a national Justice Department program focusing on child pornography and exploitation issues, up from 39 in 2007 and 40 in 2006. The number of defendants newly charged in such cases declined slightly to 37 in 2008, from 42 in 2007 and 36 in 2006, Wood said.
Norcross Man Pleads Guilty in Sex Trafficking
A Norcross man is awaiting federal sentencing �- at least 15 years in prison �- for his participation in a sex trafficking ring involving young Mexican women. Francisco Cortes-Meza, 25, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, pleaded guilty last week to sex trafficking after forcing a 22-year-old woman, also an illegal immigrant, to work as a prostitute from a home in Norcross, according to immigration agents and a statement from David Nahmias, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. The sex trafficking offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years.
Byron Williams: Legislation would establish child prostitutes as victims
Silently, Oakland is becoming an epicenter for human trafficking and sexual exploitation of underage youth. In the face of this tragic epidemic, Assemblyman Sandre R. Swanson, D-Oakland, is introducing legislation (AB 16 and AB 17) that creates financial and criminal penalties against those who either buy or sell minors for sex.The legislation addresses two issues. AB 16, known as the "Human Trafficking Penalties Act," increases criminal penalties for pimping, pandering, trafficking, or buying underage youth for sexual purposes to a serious felony, which is considered a strike under California's "Three Strikes" law.
Agency Leader's Son Gets 24 Years in Sex Case
The son of a Babylon Town commissioner was sentenced Friday to 24 years in prison for his role in a human-trafficking ring that forced teenage girls to work as prostitutes and dancers.
Major Federal Anti-Trafficking Law Passed
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which first became law in 2000, represents the first major comprehensive U.S. legislative effort to address modern-day slavery. Congress recently passed new legislation with important provisions and amendments that strengthen the U.S. government's efforts to combat human trafficking in the United States and abroad.
Dennis Paris was sentenced to 360 months in prison, five years supervised release, and to pay over $46,000 in restitution for his role in organizing a prostitution ring which involved forcing many women to engage in commercial sex acts. Paris operated the prostitution ring in Hartford, CT, where he preyed on young vulnerable women, using tactics such as rape, physical violence, and manipulation of addictive drugs to maintain control over the women.Corey Davis kept four girls, ages 12 to 18, at a two-family home, and he beat the girls and regulated their lives, including how much food they ate. Davis, who was charged with sex trafficking, forced labor and kidnapping, pleaded guilty in March to sex trafficking of a minor.
George Udeozor was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay over $110,000 in restitution to the victim. Udeozor was found guilty of smuggling a minor female to his home and using her for unpaid domestic labor and a child care provider for his six children, and physically abusing her.
Jorge Flores-Rojas pleaded guilty in federal court in Charlotte, NC to two counts of sex trafficking of minor females. Flores-Rojas is an undocumented Mexican national, whom admitted he transported a minor female, and an adult female from Charlotte to Washington DC for the purpose of engaging them in commercial sex acts. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, and a maximum of life imprisonment.
U.S. POLICY ALERT ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING, Summary of Policy Activity, June 2008
Polaris Project has compiled a list of current and pending bills containing anti-trafficking legislature. In 2008, thus far, Maine, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah, have passed anti-trafficking laws. New York has recently proposed legislation that will treat minors of sex crimes as victims, in need of protection, rather than delinquents or criminals.
Geographical Snapshot of Anti-Trafficking Legislation.
Northeatern University's Institute on Race and Justice releases "Understanding and Improving Law Enforcement Responses to Human Trafficking" ReportIn collaboration with Arizona State University and Sam Houston State University, researchers from Northeastern University conducted a random survey of law enforcement agencies throughout the US to better understand how agencies identify and respond to suspected cases of human trafficking. Data has shown that common obstacles include defining and identifying human trafficking victims, as well as the alignment of goals among agencies. Five steps are outlined in this report that will help the US to improve the identification and response to human trafficking, and it is hoped that this research will lead to the development of new policies that will lead victims of trafficking to freedom.
Couple's Downfall Is Culminating in Sentencing in Long Island Slavery CaseMahender and Varsha Sabhnani will be sentenced later in the week on charges of forced labor, peonage, and harboring aliens. The couple was convicted last year on 12 different charges that involved holding two women against their will using physical abuse. It was reported the victims were forced to work 17 hour days, 7 days a week, for roughly 20 cents an hour.
Workers Brought Into Country as StudentsFour people have been indicted on human trafficking charges alledging they brought Filipinos into the US claiming that they were martial arts students. Once in the country, the victims were forced to work nearly nonstop at two Long Beach elder care facilities. Victims were recruited with false promises of employment, only to have their passports taken away and forced to repay their "travel expenses".
Miami, Florida, Schoolteacher and Ex-Husband Sentenced for Human Trafficking and Smuggling ChargesA former Miami-area middle school teacher, Maude Paulin, and her ex-husband, Saintfort Paulin, were sentenced today in federal court for committing federal civil rights offenses when they forced a young Haitian teenager to work as a domestic servant in their home, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Grace Chung Becker and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida R. Alexander Acosta. U.S. Senior District Judge Jose A. Gonzalez sentenced Maude Paulin to 87 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered that she, jointly with her co-defendant, pay $162,765 in restitution to the victim. Saintfort Paulin was sentenced to 18 months of probation, including six months in home confinement, and was ordered to pay a $500 fine.
A Mission to Save Troubled Girls: Verteran Police Sergeant Fights Gang-led Prostitution and ExploitationKelly O'Connell heads up Boston's human trafficking task force with the goal of saving young women from lives as prostitutes.
The Countertraffickers: Rescuing the Victims of the Global Sex TradeThe International Organization for Migration endeavors to rescue victims of human trafficking in numerous countries around the world. This is a description of thier efforts.
Mexican National Sentenced For Role In Carolinas Sex-Trafficking RingSex trafficker Ciro Bustos-Rosales, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced to 70 months imprisonment, ordered to pay $52,500 in restitution to his victims, and will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life for his role in a sex trafficking ring.
Five Defendants Charged In Human Trafficking Ring For Bringing Young Women Into The U.S. From MexicoAmador Cortes-Meza, Juan Cortez-Meza, Francisco Cortez-Meza, Raul Cortez-Meza, and Edison Wagner Roda Tort were charged with 31-counts of human trafficking violations and other related offenses. All five defendants face federal charged of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, importanting women for the purpose of prostitution, and harboring & shielding aliens for commercial advangate or private financial gain.
Tennessee Man Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Of Adults And JuvenilesJuan Mendez plead guilty to two counts of child sex trafficking and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. He admitted to fraudulently luring two young girls, aged 13 & 17, to Tennessee with the intent of forcing them into prostitution. Mendez further admitted to threatening the victims, physically and verbally, in order to coerce them into prostitution. Mendez had now been sentenced to serve 50 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for his crimes.
Wife in Muttontown slave case sentenced to 11 yearsVarsha Sabhnani has been sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for her conviction on 12 human trafficking related charges. The Sabhnanis trafficked women from Indonesia for them purpose of domestic servitude. They confiscated the victim's passports and forced them to work up to 20 hours a day.
Leader of New York-Connecticut Sex-Trafficking Ring Pleads GuiltyCorey Davis, also known as Magnificent,pleaded guilty today in federal court in Bridgeport, Conn., to a federal civil rights charge for organizing and leading a sex-trafficking ring. A co-conspirator previously pleaded guilty to a related charge of conspiring to violate the Mann Act, which prohibits the interstate transport of individuals for prostitution. Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on June 2, 2008. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Davis faces up to 296 months imprisonment.
Co-Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Former Wrestler Sex Trafficking RingAimee Allen, 37, formerly of Cartersville, Ga., and now of Williamsville, N.Y., and Cedric Jackson, 41, of Atlanta, Ga., were sentenced today in the Northern District of Georgia on charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, the Justice Department announced today.
Man Sentenced to 10 Years For Role in San Antonio Sex-trafficking RingTimothy Michael Gereb was sentenced today in federal court in San Antonio to 10 years imprisonment for his role in a sex trafficking ring involving at least one teenage girl, the Justice Department announced today. After his release from prison, Gereb will be on lifetime federal supervised release. Gereb is one of five defendants named in an indictment filed in San Antonio in June 2007 following a federal sex trafficking investigation.
Hyattsville, Maryland, Man Convicted of Coercing 14 Year-old Foreign Girl into ProstitutionJavier Miguel Ramirez pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor girl from August 2005 through June 2006. The victim is a Mexican native, and was transported around Maryland and Virginia to engage in sex. She was instructed to meet with 25 clients or more per day and had to give most of her money to Ramirez.
Three Miami-Area Residents Found Guilty of Federal Human Trafficking and Smuggling ChargesThree Miami-area residents were found guilty of charges related to forcing a young Haitian woman to work as a domestic servant in their home. Theodore and Maude Paulin forced the underage victim to work 15 hour days, seven days a week, cooking, cleaning, and performing other household and yard work through psychological and physical coercian. The victim as not paid for her work nor provided with proper schooling.
Man gets 2 years in WA for Human TraffickingJunk Won Hwang is sentenced to two years for helping smuggle as many as 20 people a month into the US from Canada to work in massage parlors or brothels. He has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport and smuggle illegal aliens, and two counts of bringing an illegal immigrant in the US for financial gain.
Three Memphis, Tennessee Men Sentenced for Role in Sex Trafficking RingThree men, all who have admitted to working in brothels where an underage girl engaged in prostitution, were sentenced on charges of child sex trafficking and enticing a person to cross state lines to engage in prostitution. Two additional defendants have also pleaded guilty to commercial sex trafficking, for their roles in recruiting Mexican girls to the US and coercing them into prostitution.
Texas Man Pleads Guilty in Sex Trafficking CaseTimothy Michael Gereb pleaded guilty to transporting undocumented immigrants for commercial advantage and private financial gains. He also pled guilty to a seperate count of sex trafficking of a minor. Mexican girls were smuggled into the US for the purpose of becoming sex slaves. He will most likely be spending 10 years in prison as a result of his guilty plea.
Florida Man Sentenced for Smuggling Aliens to Work in Florida ResortsJustin Eric King, 27, of Chipley, FL, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his conviction on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. King and his co-conspirators brought illegal aliens, mainly from Bulgaria and Romania, to work in the hotel industry in Florida. He became a part of the conspiracy in 2005 and had since took over the role of negotiating new contracts with hotel owners.
Chinese Woman Sentenced for Role in Saipan Sex Trafficking RingWei Qin Sun, a national of the Poeple's Republic of China, was sentenced in federal court to 41 months imprisonment for luring a young woman from China to Saipan, and forcing her into prostitution.
South Dakota Hotel Owners Sentenced for Involuntary Servitude OffensesHusband and wife, Robert and Angelita Farrell, owners of a Comfort Inn and Suites in Oacoma, SD, were both sentenced in federal court for charges of peonage, document servitude, visa fraud, making false statements, and conspiracy. Robert was sentenced to 50 months imprisonment and Angelita to 36 months imprisonment. They were convicted of bringing Philippine workers into the US and enslaving them for the purpose of cleaning and front desk duties at their hotel, and further requiring them to to obtain a second job.
Federal Jury Convicts Anchorage Man in the First Sex Trafficking Trial in the District of Alaska Don Arthur Webster Jr., 51, was convicted on 28 counts on sex trafficking of adults and minors as well as drug trafficking offenses. Webster would target homeless, in low-paying jobs, or runaway women to work for his "escort service". He faces a maximum of life inprisonment as well as at $250,000 fine. Tacoma Woman Sentenced for Holding Domestic Servant in Forced LaborElizabeth Jackson was sentenced to three years imprisonment for holding a Filipino women and coercing her into labor with threats of abuse. Her husband, James Jackson, was sentenced to community service for harboring the woman with knowledge that her visa had expired.
Georgia Man Sentenced to 15 Years on Sex Trafficking and Mann Act ChargesJimmie Lee Jones, also known as "Mike Spade" of Stone Mountain, GA, was sentenced to serve 15 years on federal charges of conspiring to engage in sex trafficking and transporting young women across state lines for prostituion. Jones coerced women into prostition through his fraudulent modeling scheme, in which they were forced to sign contracts saying they owed him money, and were then forced into prostituion to pay back their debts.
California Woman Pleads Guilty to Several Charges Relating to Smuggling AliensAttorney for Southern District of Californa announced that Gloria Eugenia Leon-Aldana entered a guilty in US District Court to charges relating to the smuggling of aliens and forced labor. She pleaded guilty to three counts on Bringing in Illegal Aliens for Financial Gain and one count of Forced Labor. These charges are for offenses that she committed in 2006 as a member of an alien smuggling operation, which involved recruiting aliens from Mexico, harboring them in San Diego, and coercing them into forced labor through a series of threats.
Florida Family Charged with Forcing Immigrants into Farm LaborSix Florida family members were indicted on charges of enslaving Mexican and Guatamalan immigrants. Charges include beating, threatening, and restraining workers in trucks and forcing them to work as agricultural laborers. Two defendants face over 200 years imprisonment if convicted.
Former Samoan Government Official Sentenced for Obstruction of Federal Sex Trafficking InvestigationThe former Assistant Chief of the Department of Property Managament for the Samoan government, who pleaded guilty in August 2007, was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment. He was involved in witness tampering and providing misleading information to a federal grand jury concerning a scheme which involved importing Chinese women and prostituting them in nightclubs and brothels.
Shared Hope International has created and produced a video on Human Trafficking: DEMAND. a 45-minute documentary featuring investigative footage of the dark and hidden world of sex traffickers, pimps and buyers. DEMAND. exposes the men who buy commercial sex, the vulnerable women and children sold as commodities, and the facilitators of the sale within the marketplace of exploitation. This documentary and report is a comparative investigation of trafficking in 4 countries: Japan, The Netherlands, Jamaica and the US. ** You can download the entire documentary, a shortened 16-minute version and the report for FREE.
