Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
An Oahu grand jury has indicted two men on charges stemming from an alleged attempt to force a 20-year-old woman into prostitution. Johnathan Payne was indicted Wednesday on charges of first-degree promotion of prostitution, kidnapping and two counts of being an accomplice to sexual assault. Also indicted was La Shawn R. Adams on charges of kidnapping and third-degree assault. The woman alleged she had gone to meet a friend at the Princess Kaiulani Hotel in Waikiki, and was held against her will in a hotel room Jan. 9-11 by three men. The woman said the men wanted her to be a prostitute, according to a police affidavit. Police said the woman refused and asked the men to leave the room, but they held her captive instead. While being held, the woman was sexually assaulted, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office said.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
A couple, Franklin Macedo and Yaneth Martinez, were arrested for human trafficking and prostituting women from Mexico and Honduras. To get clients, the couple handed out business cards in the Hispanic neighborhood that said “hair cuts for men only”, or “flowers home delivery”. These cards were code language for prostitution.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Elodia Capilla Diego, Sergio Gonzalez Ramos, Marcelino Berdou-Lopez
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
DeShawn Clark, 18, who goes by "Cash" or "Cash Money" was charged in November of 2008 with promoting prostitution and other charges. Prosecutors added the charge of second-degree human trafficking on Friday, March 20, 2009. This is the first time King County has charged anyone under the 2003 law that was passed that criminalized human trafficking. Charges agains DeShawn Clark now include second-degree human trafficking, first-degree promoting prostitution, two counts of promoting commercial sexual abuse of a minor, second degree assault, unlawful imprisonment and drug possession. Thomas I. Foster, 19, was also charged in Movember and several other members were charged with various related counts Friday, including Shawn S. Clark, 20; Gerald Jackson, 21; Mycah Johnson, 19, and Desmond Manago, 20. Investigators say the gang, which is affiliated with the Bloods, has 20-30 members involved in robbery, drug sales, weapon possession and aggravated assaults, according to charging papers.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Yan Liu, 48 Ms.Liu spoke by telephone with an Asian woman then in California on several occasions in August, 2007 and persuaded the woman to purchase an airline ticket and travel to Buffalo for the purpose of working in a massage parlor owned or operated by the defendant. She owned or operated Asian Greenday Spa in West Seneca, New York and Rainbow Spa in Amherst, New York. The woman who traveled from California worked in Asian Greenday Spa and performed numerous sexual acts for customers and was paid in "tips" for these services while the parlor's base massage fee was paid over to Ms. Liu.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Vanessa Cristina Guedes Lopes, of Miami, Florida, was sentenced to 20 months in prison for bringing aliens to the U.S. illegally, bringing individuals in interstate commerce for prostitution, sex trafficking, and conspiracy. In addition, she has been convicted for making false statements in immigration documents—she will be deported after serving her sentence. Lopes recruited women, advertised them online, and sent them to various cities in Massachusetts. She coerced the women into staying through the use of threats, such as the deportation.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Justine Alex Reisdorf, a 19-year-old Burnsville woman. Her indictment alleges that between November 2006 and March 2007, Reisdorf operated a prostitution ring. Court documents stated that Reisdorf knowingly employed female students under the age of 18 from Minnesota School District 191 to serve as prostitutes for that business. Reisdorf’s operation was advertised on the Internet, specifically through listings on Craigslist.com. Those listings advertised both adult and minor prostitution services and displayed photographs of the females, along with available services and prices.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
From Marin Independant Journal, article by Gary Klien http://www.masscops.com/forums/cyber-crime/38889-feds-hit-myspace-pimp-suspect-child-sex-trafficking-charge.html "A 32-year-old man accused of pimping a teenage girl in San Rafael after meeting her through MySpace.com is now facing a federal sex trafficking charge. Melvin Parker Jr., a convicted felon from Richmond, could face 10 years to life in prison if convicted of the federal charge of sex trafficking of children, according to a complaint by the FBI. The federal government has an interest in the case because Parker allegedly enticed the victim, a 16-year-old runaway from Washington state, across state lines through MySpace, a social networking site. Federal law prohibits using "force, fraud or coercion" to get a minor across state or national boundaries to engage in a "commercial sex act." Parker, who was arrested in August, has already been charged in Marin Superior Court with soliciting for a prostitute, pandering, unlawful sex, sale or transportation of marijuana and driving without a license. He has pleaded not guilty." "Authorities said Parker put the girl up at the Economy Inn in San Pablo while making her work as a prostitute in Richmond, Concord and San Rafael." According to SF Chonicle, Parker picked up two girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation. http://www.sfgate.com/flat/archive/2007/10/12/chronicle/archive/2007/10/12/BAHISOPNC.html
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
After San Rafael police arrested Parker, he was charged in Marin Superior Court but the case was dismissed in favor of federal prosecution for Sex Trafficking of a Minor, which resulted in a 130 month sentence (June 2008). US DOJ press release: http://www.justice.gov/usao/can/press/2008/2008_06_18_parker.sentenced.press.html Marin IJ story: http://www.marinij.com/ci_7069141?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Sept. 2007: Police announced that two women had been arrested for allegedly offering prostitution services out of a massage therapy business, A-Care Health Center in Pacifica. Pacifica Police worked with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency and the Broadmoor Police Department to execute a search warrant after neighborhood complaints about lewd acts committed at the business surfaced, police reported. Jing Wang was arrested on prostitution charges, and Yu Fen Wang was detained by immigration enforcement officers and charged with immigration violations For original article, see: http://cbs5.com/crime/A.Care.Health.2.459643.html
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Jesus Perez-Laguna was sentenced in Federal Court to 14 years and forced to pay the victim $52,000. Upon serving his sentence Perez-Laguna will be deported back to Mexico and not granted reentry into the United States. Ciro Bustos-Rosales was sentenced to 70 months in prison, ordered to pay restitution, and ordered to comply with similar terms and conditions of release as those included in Perez-Laguna’s sentence.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Police are aware of 8 massage parlors in and around the Denver Metro area. This particular store was closed and the couple are awaiting charges.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
This case is the result of an investigation by ICE, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the St. Paul Police Department, with the assistance of the police departments from Minneapolis, Richfield, Austin and West St. Paul. The investigation was also aided by the Gerald D. Vick Human Trafficking Task Force. Hisep-Roman was sentenced to 28 months in prison and three years of supervised release on one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Seven women were arrested for prostitution in an undercover operation in Snohomish County. None of the pimps were arrested. Police noted that three of the girls arrested were from out of state and the others live in Seattle and Tacoma. Although no mention was made of any male arrests, the article said that earlier that month police had arrested several men in a "john" sting, targeting customers. In both cases no traffickers were found/arrested.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
The man's arrest was part of an ongoing effort of Everett police to combat prostitution. One officer was quoted, "We're attacking it from all angles - from the johns to the prostitutes to the pimps." Undercover officers had set up several sting operations to arrest people selling and buying sex. They've also used Craigslist to nab customers and prostitutes. The man arrested came to the detectives attention in March after a woman reported seeing her daughter's picture in Craigslist and an advertisement that indicated that she was selling sex. The mother said her daughter was being "pimped out and tht the man assaulted her daughter and refused to let her visit with her family according to the search warrant. In July the police heard from another concerned mother who told them that her daughter was being held against her will in a south Everett apartment. Detectives found the woman, who told them the Everett man bought her for $250 and she worked for him as a prostitute at a Lynwood motel. She told them she gave the man all the money she made. Both women told police they were afraid of the man, who carried a pistol and beat and assaulted them. Everett police last month searched two apartments and seized computers, drug paraphenalia and about $2,000 in cash. They continue to investigate.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Lloyd Mack Royal III, also known as “Blyss”, “B”, and “Furious” is a 29 year old male who, "preyed upon vulnerable minors and prostituted them by a variety of deplorable means for his own benefit” (Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force). He was convicted on March 24, 2010 of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking; sex trafficking of a minor; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; conspiracy to distribute drugs; and distribution of drugs to persons under 21, related to a scheme to prostitute three minor females.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Federal agents and Las Vegas police officers arrested six persons believed to have been illegally operating bordellos in Clark County. Officials seized 3,500 tabs of Ecstasy, $20,000 in cash, and detained 25 mostly non-English speaking Asian females during the raid. Agents and officers are investigating whether any of the female detainees are underage or if they were forced into prostitution.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
From April to December 2007, Craig Kraft and Liqing Liu operated a prostitution business. The location changed constantly which included motels in Bloomington, Golden Valley, Plymouth, and Minneapolis. The office for the business was located in St. Louis Park. Women were rotated to work in the brothel, and Liu arranged for the victims to travel to MN from California, New York, and Texas.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Daniel McNeal, A 36-year-old Minneapolis man, who also goes by the names of “Diamond” and “Daddy,” has a long criminal history, including assault, aggravated robbery and prostitution-related offenses. He is also recognized as a criminal sex offender in connection with a 2001 conviction in Texas for enticement to travel in interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution. Trafficked individual across several state lines, including Iowa, Texas and South Carolina. McNeal was sentenced to 293 months in federal prison.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
In the plea agreement, pled guilty in United States District Court yesterday to two counts of transporting a minor for purposes of prostitution under 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a) and one count of transporting a person for purposes of prostitution under 18 U.S.C. § 2421. Mr. Bryant has agreed to serve a prison term of 96 months, with a subsequent term of supervised release of eight years. In addition, Mr. Bryant will be required to register as a sex offender. The prosecution, part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood, is the result of the combined efforts of the Union City Police Department, the Mesa, Arizona Police Department, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office - Fremont Branch, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Project Safe Childhood is a national initiative launched last year by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at combining federal, state and local law enforcement resources in order to bring more Internet-related child exploitation prosecutions, and to educate the public about the dangers that the Internet poses to children. Michelle Morgan-Kelly, the District’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of legal assistant Cynthia Daniel.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Law Enforcement from around Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, and Alameda county, FBI, and the DOJ consulted and constructed the operation Strikeout. Undercover work took place and 131 arrests were made.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Trevor Jones worked as a landscaper and telemarketer. He was recently prosecuted for his actions with two women whom he met at parties, gave drugs, and then forced them to pay back his "kindness" through prostitution. They had to make at least $150 per event, make at least $1000 per night, and give all the money to him.
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
The victim was a 16-year-old girl who ran away from her home in Washington. She arrived in the Bay Area on August 3, 2007. She had met the suspect in MySpace and came to the Bay Area to meet him, but there was no mention of prostitution until after she had arrived. Upon her arrival, the suspect told the victim that she must prostitute herself. According to San Rafael police spokesperson Margo Rohrbacher, "[The suspect] told her that he wanted her to prostitute herself, or his friends would look up her family and hurt them … She would give all her money to him, and he would give her money for food and clothing. She was staying with him at some location in the East Bay." Police found the girl on the street, where she appeared to be looking for sexual customers. They stopped to question her, and she told them her situation. Under their direction, she called the suspect, saying she had a customer waiting and asking how much to charge. The suspect gave her instructions and said he would meet her at the Canal area Burger King to collect the money. Police arrested the suspect when he drove up to the restaurant. Police also found marijuana in his car, which was impounded. The suspect was arraigned on 8/10/2007 on charges of “soliciting for a prostitute, pandering, unlawful sex by fraud or fear, sale or transportation of marijuana and driving with a suspended or revoked license”
Sex Trafficking2007
United States US
Trafficker was indicted on June 21, 2007 for leading a human-smuggling ring that trafficked South Koreans into the United States through Canada. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2008, and admitted that he smuggled between 25 and 99 Koreans into the United States. In July 2009, he was sentenced in a Seattle court to two years in federal prison, but had already served that time while he awaited the outcome of his case in the U.S. District Court. He was also sentenced to two years of supervised release for conspiracy to smuggle and transport aliens into the United States. Prosecutors said they sought an unusually light sentence for Sohn because he cooperated with authorities who were investigating other similar smuggling operations. After Sohn was indicted, he helped agents crack other smuggling rings that had been using the same safe houses as Sohn’s group.