Domestic Servitude2008
United States US
Abdenasser Ennassime, also known as Sammy, and his wife Tonya Ennassime brought their niece, Lamyaá, from Morocco to come stay with them when she was 12-years old (in September 2001). They arranged that Lamyaá would help care for the couple’s son and help with the housework, in exchange for lodging and the opportunity for good education. Instead, Lamyaá made breakfast and dinner, did the laundry, cleaned the house, and worked weekends and summers at the family espresso stand without pay. The espresso stand is called Lake City Perk. In March 2004, Sammy read Lamyaá’s diary, in which she complained about being mistreated. He then hit her, and withdrew her from school. After the incident, she was forced to work longer hours at the espresso stand, 12-14 hours at a time, and he took all her tips, which totaled about $5,000. He threatened to report her for being in the country illegally. Lamyaá was never given a house key, and her uncle took her documents and identification.
Sex Trafficking2010
United States US
Juan Alexander Vianez, aka Nauj, age 26, from Lakewood, WA, and Las Vegas, Nevada. According to records in the case and testimony at trial, VIANEZ met the victim in this case when she was just a week past her 17th birthday. VIANEZ convinced the girl to become sexually involved with him. He then pressured her into prostitution to earn money for him. With threats and beatings he kept her isolated in the world of prostitution forcing her to work in Portland, Las Vegas and Arizona, and returning all money earned to him. As prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo, “On a nearly weekly basis over the course of four years, the defendant threatened (the victim) with harm, and assaulted her, including punching her in the face, the stomach and ribs. The beatings did not excuse (the victim) from prostituting; she just had to put on more make-up to cover up the bruises.” http://www.justice.gov/usao/waw/press/2010/sep/vianez.html
CSEC2012
United States US
Lashad Alexander, 24, of Tacoma, Washington, was sentenced September 29, 2011 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to nine years in prison, three years of supervised release and $130,000 in restitution for human trafficking. Alexander pleaded guilty in February 2011, admitting he forced a young woman to work as a prostitute in the Tacoma area, and financially benefitted from the prostitution acts. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan said, “this is just terrible… It amounts to slavery. Society cannot allow it.” The court documents establish that Alexander had recruited a juvenile female in 2005 to engage in acts of prostitution, and that this girl worked as a prostitute for him until his arrest March 29, 2010. The female victim is now an adult. Alexander assisted the victim’s prostitution activities by purchasing clothing, condoms, and cellular telephones for her to use while working. Alexander also bought debit cards for the victim to use to post sex advertisements on the internet. Alexander rented motel rooms for prostitution. The victim had to provide Alexander with her earnings from her work as a prostitute. On some occasions, Alexander struck the victim and caused her to believe that she would suffer serious harm if she did not earn money for him as a prostitute. Today Alexander was ordered to pay $130,000 in restitution to the victim.