Los Angeles, CA, United States
Alena Okhotina (a Russian national) paid for her 18-year-old niece to fly to Los Angeles from Russia. Upon arrival, Okhotina took her niece's passport and declared she would have to work as a prostitute and told her she would be arrested for her illegal status in the U.S. if she went to the police. The teenager engaged in prostitution in California and in Las Vegas, Nevada. Okhotina took the money the teen earned.
Location
United States · Los Angeles, CA · 2008 (location generalized to protect survivors)
Response & intervention
Okhotina pleaded guilty in the case, tried before the United States District Court. Okhotina also admitted to obstructing justice for the trial, attempting to influence witness testimonies. The sentence was 18-21 months in jail. Okhotina previously served more than 26 months in state prison after she was convicted of pandering in regards to her niece's prostitution work.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Labor, and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don't have a verifiable source on file yet — use “Report a problem” below to add one.