CSEC2010
United States US
The victim escaped from Campbell's home and told her story to investigators. More information is available on her escape and the case on: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Former_Spur_charged_in_sex_trafficking_case.html Below is the text of the article: http://media.mysanantonio.com/images/MarqueCallaway.jpg Courtesy photo Marques A. Callaway http://media.mysanantonio.com/images/JackZimmerle.jpg Courtesy photo Jack August Zimmerle Yahoo! Buzz RSS | EMAIL | PRINT | SAVE Recommend recommend 3 By Guillermo Contreras - Express-News Authorities have busted up a sex-trafficking ring accused of forcing a 14-year-old girl to have sex with men throughout San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Linked to the ring is former Spurs guard and four-time NBA All-Star Alvin Robertson. Seven people allegedly are tied to the ring, including an R&B performer and a man charged with bribing an official at Kelly USA, a business park at the former air base. Of the seven, Robertson — who played for the Spurs from 1984 to 1989 and was a one-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year — was the last to be arrested Friday, said Deputy Ino Badillo, a spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. Robertson was arrested shortly after 4 p.m. in Bentonville, Ark., where he was to attend a basketball shooting clinic this weekend that featured him and former NBA player Ricky Pierce. Lt. Jon Simpson of the Bentonville Police Department told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Robertson appeared shocked when arrested. The girl, who's now back with her parents in San Antonio, was kidnapped in March 2009 and forced into prostitution after running away from home, officials said. She also was taken to Corpus Christi, where her captor allegedly forced her to dance at a topless club that now faces sanctions by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The girl escaped March 30, 2009, from Leslie Roy Campbell, 49, and reported him to Corpus Christi police, opening an investigation here that lasted three months and culminated in Friday's arrests by the Bexar County Human Trafficking Task Force, Badillo said. The task force works with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which investigates human trafficking of or by foreigners in the U.S., said Jerry Robinette, special agent in charge of ICE in San Antonio. Investigators found no unauthorized immigrants were involved, and the crimes appear to have occurred within Texas, resulting in state charges rather than federal. Robertson is charged with trafficking of persons under 18 for prostitution, sexual assault of a child and sexual performance of a child, all felonies. Badillo said Robertson is believed to have had sex with the girl, but also described Robertson as a “facilitator,” which means involved in forcing the girl into prostitution. Three alleged “johns” were charged in the case with sexual assault of a child: Murtuza K. Bhavnagerwala, 36, Behzad Mehrinfar, 25, and Jack A. Zimmerle, 40. Robertson's girlfriend, Racquel McIntosh, 41, was charged with sexual performance of a child and trafficking of persons under 18 for prostitution. Campbell was charged with sexual performance of a child, trafficking, sexual assault of a child and aggravated kidnapping. Marques A. Callaway, 35, who performs “Southern R&B,” was charged with aggravated kidnapping. Zimmerle, Callaway and Mehrinfar were released Friday after posting $75,000 bail each. The others remained jailed Friday night, including Campbell, who's serving time in a Beeville prison on sexual assault of a child charges. Last year, the San Antonio Express-News reported the girl ran away from home and was kidnapped by Campbell. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault earlier this month in Nueces County, officials said. The girl escaped from Campbell's Corpus Christi home while he was in the shower, flagged down a passing patrol car and reported that she'd been kidnapped and sexually assaulted for a week. She also told investigators Campbell gave her a fake ID and forced her to strip at Club Cheetah there. Badillo said the task force then began investigating Robertson and the other suspects after the girl complained she was taken throughout Bexar County to have sex in exchange for money. The strip club later sued the girl, her parents, Campbell and Corpus Christi police, claiming the business was “flimflammed” and its operators question the girl's sequence of events that brought her to the club. Before his arrest Friday, Zimmerle was facing trial in March on a charge of paying kickbacks to then-Kelly USA real estate manager Ray Crosby for favorable treatment on bids submitted by Enviro-Tech, a company Zimmerle helped operate. Crosby pleaded guilty and is to testify against Zimmerle as part of his deal, First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg said. Zimmerle maintains his innocence in both cases, said his lawyer, Jay Norton. “I imagine (the new case) is going to delay the trial,” Norton said.
CSEC2010
United States US
Male, age 22 was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release following his release from prison. Male, age 24 was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison. Male, age 21 was sentenced to serve 108 months in prison. According to evidence presented at trial, the men picked up the 14-year-old female victim from a restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego. They drove her to a motel in Oceanside, where they forced her to pose for sexually explicit photographs so that they could solicit “johns” on the Internet to engage in commercial sex acts with the child.
CSEC2010
United States US
On May 27, 2011, Maurice Lerome Smith was convicted after a three-day jury trial. A federal jury returned verdicts convicting Smith on one count of sex trafficking of children by force, fraud, and coercion, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to evidence presented at trial, Smith set up online ads offering commercial sex acts with his child victim. Smith would book the rooms and drive the child to the motels; he then took possession of all the money. The child was told to make a daily quota as high as $1,000. The child testified she met Smith online in 2009. She testified that in September 2010, while walking in San Diego, Smith forced her to get into his car and later physically assaulted her with a belt, had sex with her, and then drove her to a motel to work as a prostitute. Smith told the girl if she did not get into his car, she would be “in pieces in the trunk”.
CSEC2010
United States US
According to an article in The Seattle Times, on Thursday, April 1, 2010: "A Renton man [Deandre Gant, 21] accused of ordering a juvenile runaway to work as a prostitute has been charged with commercial sexual abuse of a minor." The article also explains that "Gant told a 15-year-old Issaquah girl that she had to perform sex acts so 'they' could have some money. The girl told police she has known Gant for about three years and had moved in with him after running away from home." The Seattle police investigating this incident reported that they had "found text messages from Gant on her cellphone, ordering her to keep working."
CSEC2010
United States US
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Authorities have charged 14 reputed members and associates of the Gambino crime family -- including nine Staten Islanders -- on counts ranging from sex trafficking of a minor to murder and racketeering. OREFICE, DIFIORE, MANZELLA, SCOTTO, EISLER, MAIURRO, and PORCELLI are charged with sex trafficking and sex trafficking of a minor. From 2008 to 2009, the defendants operated a prostitution business where young women and girls—including an underage girl who was 15 years old at the time—were exploited and sold for sex. The defendants first recruited various young women and girls—ages 15 through 19—to work as prostitutes. The defendants then advertised the prostitution business on Craigslist and other websites. The defendants drove the women to appointments in Manhattan, Brooklyn, New Jersey, and Staten Island to have sex with clients. The defendants then took approximately 50 percent of the money paid to the young women. The defendants also made the women available for sex to gamblers at a weekly, high-stakes poker games that OREFICE and his crew ran
CSEC2010
United States US
Demont Bowie of Wellman, IA was sentenced to 35 years in prison for kidnapping a 13-year-old Minneapolis girl and holding her in the basement of a house in Williamsburg, IA. He forced her to have sex with his friends and with other men as part of a prostitution ring that his father, Robert Sallis, operated. Bowie threatened that he would kill the girl and her family if she did not comply.
CSEC2009
Ghana GH
Only hours after their rescue, traffickers reclaimed most of these victims by posing as boyfriends and family members at the government’s shelter, according to local observers. More information: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/105379.htm
CSEC2009
Togo TG
The practice of ritual or customary servitude was outlawed in Ghana in 1998, but the practical implementation of the law has fallen largely to NGO's who have facilitated the shrines in ending the practice. The NGO Every Child Ministries Ghana negotiated with the Sovigbenor shrine and educated the sfinally winning the approval of the shrine for the liberation of all 126 of its trokosi slaves on December 9, 2005. The liberation was a public event in which the shrine freed the slaves and agreed to end the practice of ritual servitude in that place. In this case a 13 year old girl was freed who had been enslaved in the shrine since she was too young to remember. She had been sent to the shrine to replace her grandmother who had been a trokosi. The practice of replacement demands that when an offense is perceived, it must be atoned for until the end of time, so that if one slave dies or runs away, she must be replaced by another from the same family.
CSEC2009
United Arab Emirates AE
One 15-year-old sex trade victim turned to Dubai Police to free her from her captors after she managed to escape with the assistance of a client. Captain Ahmad Obaid Bin Hadibah, Head of Dubai Police's Department of Combating Human Trafficking, has handled 15 cases of human trafficking in the first nine months of this year, which is close to the figure dealt with in the same period in 2008.
CSEC2009
United States US
The minor was arrested for solicitation. Trafficker was not tracked down or prosecuted.
CSEC2009
United States US
Thaying Lor (42), bought a 12-year-old girl for bride, and kept her in the marriage until she turned 31 years of age. The Young Hmong-American victim finally sought help after years of sexual assault and two suicide attempts. During the divorce the victim testified about being raped by her husband countless amounts of times.
CSEC2009
United States US
A 15-year-old female made the mistake of getting into the car of a man she met at a mall in Atlanta. The man abducted her, imprisoned her in a room at a hotel, for weeks, made money by selling her for sex. She escaped when she left his sight to supposedly take a bath, and hotel guests called the police to help her.
CSEC2009
United States US
A 13-year-old female met a man via a phone chat line who ended up figuring out her address. The man went to her home and kidnapped her. She was raped multiple times, and video of the rapes were posted on the Internet for profit.
CSEC2009
United States US
A 14-year-old runaway female was introduced by another girl to a local pimp. The pimp introduced her to drugs, then forced her into sex with multiple partners. When she was about to be sold to another pimp, she broke free and ran for her life. To prevent her from leaving, her pimp shot her in the leg, wounding her, but she managed to get to safety and help.
CSEC2009
United States US
Ballard’s case dates back to 2005 when he met a 14-year old runaway girl on Metropolitan Avenue in Atlanta. The teen moved in with him and he immediately began having sex with her. Within a month of meeting the victim, he began to beat and pistol-whip her on a consistent basis and eventually began to prostitute her. At times, Ballard would send the teen out to Metropolitan Avenue to solicit men, other times he brought “clients” to their home. In 2006, the victim’s mother, who had previously reported her daughter as a runaway, spotted the teen walking down the street. She called police who responded immediately and questioned the victim about her eight month ordeal. Ballard was arrested a short-time later.
CSEC2009
United States US
Girl was discovered to due to routine traffic stop. Was eventually transported to LA Childrens of the Night shelter.
CSEC2009
United States US
Between April 2007 and November 2009, the defendants, who are Mexican nationals, used physical violence, threats, and intimidation to force a 17-year-old Mexican woman (the victim), to work as a prostitute in and around New York City and elsewhere. The victim was not permitted to leave the apartment where she lived with the defendants in Brooklyn except to work as a prostitute. Half of the money she earned was taken by Salazar, and the balance was kept by drivers who transported her to work locations. The violence used against the victim included Salazar punching her in the face and body and beating her with a brick and a wooden board, and Mendez cutting her with a knife.
CSEC2009
United States US
A Brownsville couple has been sentenced for running a sex trafficking ring that brought women and teenage girls into the United States for prostitution.
CSEC2009
United States US
ICE made arrests on both of the traffickers. Coronado and Zeiger are charged with one count of conspiring to harbor illegal aliens in October 2008, one count of importing aliens for prostitution purposes, one count of attempting to import a minor alien for prostitution purposes, and two counts of harboring aliens for prostitution purposes.
CSEC2009
Cambodia KH
" Department of Justice Press Release For Immediate Release August 31, 2009 United States Attorney's Office Central District of California Contact: (213) 894-2434 Three American Men Accused of Traveling to Cambodia to Have Sex with Children Now En Route to United States to Face Prosecution on Federal ‘Sex Tourism’ Charges LOS ANGELES—The first three defendants to be charged under an international law enforcement initiative targeting Americans who travel to Cambodia to sexually exploit children have been removed from that Southeast Asian nation and are expected to arrive here later today to face prosecution in federal court. The charges against the three men are the result of Operation “Twisted Traveler,” an ongoing effort by the Department of Justice and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and prosecute “sex tourists” who travel to Cambodia to engage in illicit sex with children. The three defendants currently being transported to the United States were previously convicted of sex offenses in the United States. The defendants will be taken into custody by ICE agents when they arrive at Los Angeles International Airport, which is expected to be sometime this afternoon. The three men, who are named in separate criminal complaints filed earlier this year in United States District Court, are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court tomorrow afternoon. Prior to their return to the United States, the men were arrested and detained by Cambodian authorities on charges related to child sexual exploitation. At a news conference this morning, United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien and Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton announced the three cases and promised further enforcement actions focusing on Americans who sexually exploit children in Cambodia and other countries. “The men charged in this investigation apparently thought they could pursue their abhorrent desires by leaving the United States to prey on children in another country, but they were sadly mistaken,” said United States Attorney O’Brien. “We are now working closer than ever with officials in other nations and concerned private parties to take every effort we can to identify and prosecute sex tourists, as well as to provide every protection we can to the world's children.” Assistant Secretary Morton stated: “Sexual predators cannot escape justice simply by traveling overseas to exploit, violate and abuse children. Working closely with our partners overseas, ICE will identify people who travel for illicit purposes. We must protect children from sexual exploitation, whether in the United States or abroad. Today's announcement should send a message that traveling overseas to exploit children will not be tolerated and will not go unnoticed.” The Twisted Traveler cases are the result of information provided to ICE by investigators for Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a non-governmental organization (NGO) established to combat child sexual exploitation, and International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. The three defendants scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles this afternoon are: Ronald Gerard Boyajian, 49, of Menlo Park, California, who was arrested by the Cambodian National Police (CNP) in February. According to an affidavit by an ICE agent, Boyajian most recently traveled to Cambodia a year ago, where he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with a 10-year-old Vietnamese girl in an area outside Phnom Penh frequented by child sex tourists known as “Kilo 11.” Erik Leonardus Peeters, 41, of Norwalk, California, who was taken into custody by the CNP in late February. The criminal complaint accuses Peeters of engaging in sexual activity with at least three Cambodian boys. The affidavit in the case states that Peeters, who arrived in Cambodia in May 2008, paid the minors $5 to $10 for sex. Jack Louis Sporich, 75, formerly of Santa Monica, California and now a resident of Sedona, Arizona, who was arrested by the CNP in February. According to the criminal complaint, Sporich sexually abused at least one underage Cambodian boy after he arrived there in November 2008. According to the case affidavit, witnesses interviewed by APLE stated that Sporich often drove his motor bike through the streets of the city of Siem Riep, dropping Cambodian currency as a way to attract children. The three men are charged under the PROTECT Act, which went into effect six years ago and substantially strengthened the federal laws related to predatory crimes involving children outside the United States by adding new crimes and increasing sentences. Boyajian, Peeters and Sporich each are charged with international travel and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors, a charge that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The child sex tourism cases announced today are the direct result of the unprecedented cooperation among U.S. authorities such as the FBI and Department of State, the Cambodian government and NGOs to target Americans traveling to Cambodia to sexually exploit minors. In June, a delegation including United States Attorney O’Brien, Los Angeles ICE Special Agent in Charge Robert Schoch and ICE’s Bangkok attaché Barry Tang traveled to Cambodia, where they met with the United States Ambassador to Cambodia, along with the Commander General of the CNP and representatives from APLE and IJM, to discuss the ongoing enforcement efforts. “These new charges clearly demonstrate to the Cambodian people that the United States will not tolerate this type of abuse,” said Carol Rodley, the United States Ambassador to Cambodia. “These cases not only signal to the Cambodian victims our commitment to justice, but they will also act as a powerful deterrent for those individuals who are contemplating traveling to Cambodia to engage in illegal sexual activity with minors.” Operation Twisted Traveler is a collaborative investigative effort coordinated by ICE’s Office of International Affairs that involves the agency’s Attaché Office in Bangkok and the Los Angeles ICE Office of Investigations. ICE has received substantial support with this initiative from the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. As part of Operation Twisted Traveler, ICE and FBI agents jointly conducted training for organizations in Cambodia involved in the effort to combat child sex tourism, including representatives from the CNP, local Cambodian law enforcement and several NGOs. The training covered all aspects of child sex tourism investigations, ranging from search and seizure procedures and surveillance techniques to the legal authorities contained in the PROTECT Act."
CSEC2009
United States US
Javon Gordan, age 27 Federal authorities allege Gordon, with the help of at least three other people, ran a prostitution ring that operated from as early as September 2007 to July 2008 in Atlantic City and various other cities, including Washington, D.C. and Boston. Gordon allegedly went online to recruit minor girls and adult women from the Atlantic City area.
CSEC2009
Mexico MX
Jose Rosario Irazaba Aldaco, 45, claims to be from Phoenix, Arizona. It is believed that he kidnapped the victims including his two stepsons with the intent to sell them in the States. The boys ages 1 and 4 would be sold for $10,000 and the girls, 19, 15 and 12 would be sold 2 grand a piece to work as prostitutes.
CSEC2009
Thailand TH
Fortunately a teacher discovered what was going on and she helped her to find a way out.
CSEC2009
United States US
In August 2007, Marianne, a former victim advocate for a domestic violence crisis center located on the Seacoast, received a call from the National Human Trafficking Hotline in New York City. They called to report that a victim of human trafficking in her local area had contacted them asking for assistance. The victim was a 17-year-old woman who had been kidnapped from her native country 5 years before at the age of 12. She had been working for those 5 years as a sex slave in a house in New Hampshire with 5 other young women of similar age. She was seeking refuge and fortunately, in the 45-minute time window she had to get free, she had been able to reach the Trafficking Hotline and the Hotline had been able to reach Marianne. Marianne was told by the Hotline worker that the young woman had not eaten for 2-3 days and that she should be very cautious in feeding her -- only giving her moderate amounts of food and beverage while her system recovered from being starved. The Hotline worker also advised Marianne that the victim had been cut by her captors in the abdomen and might need emergency medical help. 15 After picking up the victim, Marianne connected with the Hotline to inform them of her success. The Hotline then contacted the American Council of Bishops in Washington, DC. There were two people on the line whom Marianne put on speaker phone in the shelter. They wanted to hear from the victim herself. Unfortunately, about two minutes into the call the speakers mentioned that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would be contacted in the process of getting the victim help. Once the victim heard that, she started to pace the office and told Marianne that she wanted to leave. She ended up leaving the shelter and she never saw her again. Marianne stated that she knew at that moment that the mention of the word “immigration”had probably fulfilled a threat her captors had made to her. She concluded, The police didn’t find her. I never saw her again. I don’t know where she went or what happened to her. All I could think of was that she might have been forced to return to her captors in order to “feel safe” from what could happen to her in the “outside world.” I will never forget her. I pray for her and for her mother….and for the rest of the young women who were kidnapped and held against their will in that house in New Hampshire. As difficult as it is to believe that New Hampshire houses victims of human trafficking, I had evidence of such activity right before my eyes. She pointed out that she wasn’t able to protect her or to get her help, so the Commission’s work is very important for providing strong victim advocacy and protection in the future. The Demand for Trafficking in New Hampshire The crime of human sex trafficking can be characterized by a supply and demand relationship. The supply side of sex trafficking involves the men, women and children who are raped, beaten, and psychologically abused, only to then be sexually exploited and “sold” to others who often repeat this same violent cycle. The demand side of sex trafficking, on the other hand, is the 16 people (mostly men) who buy these services. Often referred to as “johns,” these men represent the demand that fuels this worldwide sex industry.