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Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don’t have a verifiable source on file yet. Know one?
What happened
After negotiating with detectives online, or by phone, the suspects traveled to an undisclosed location in Polk County where they offered detectives sex acts ranging from oral sex to intercourse in exchange for cash. The majority of the ads were found on backpage.com.but the ads used by the suspects also appeared on www.Bootytag.com, www.Findhotescorts.com, www.Sipsap.com, and others. Detectives said they were shocked when among those arrested was a 15-year-old. The 15 year old arrived at the undercover location after being contacted by undercover detectives via Findhotescorts.com. Her two-month old baby and alleged pimp remained in the vehicle. Investigation revealed she was 15 years old and a runaway from Chicago, IL. The 15 year old’s alleged pimp, Jonathan Padilla, was identified as a criminal gang member upon his arrest by Gang Unit Detectives and is alleged by a witness to be associated with the Maniac Campbell Boys criminal gang in Chicago.
Response and intervention
The alleged pimp of the 15 year old, Jonathan Padilla, was charged with Deriving proceeds from prostitution, Child abuse, and Procuring a minor for prostitution. No aftercare was reported for the 15 year old, who was charged with Child abuse and Solicitation. The 15 year olds’s infant was turned over to the custody of DCF. The Polaris Project (www.polarisproject.org) has contacted media, noting this crackdown did not merely involve adults, but at least one minor under the control of a pimp. Under U.S. law [18 U.S.C. § 1591], the 15 year old is automatically a trafficking victim because she has not reached 18 years of age and was induced to perform commercial sex acts. Polaris noted that correctly identifying victims of sex trafficking is vital to fighting the crime, and urged reporters to educate themselves on the issue and think carefully about the use of the term “prostitute”, especially as applied to 15 year olds.