Anchorage, Alaska, United States
The convictions are the result of a coordinated effort of the Trafficking In Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force, an interagency effort that brings together different agencies to combat the problem of trafficking in persons and modern-day slavery in the United States. The case, which was investigated jointly by the INS, FBI, and the Anchorage Police Department, was prosecuted by the Criminal Section of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska (DOJ). If yes, in what way and with what result? U.S. vs. Virchenko was the first case to be decided under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). Additionally, the Department of Justice expanded the definition of commercial sexual service of a minor to include not only “a commercial sexual activity,” but also a “sexually explicit performance” (Mattar).