Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
William Strunk, Chun Yong Madden, and John Evans Jr. operated a prostitution business located in Berwyn, PA on Lancaster Ave. called “Swan Day Spa.” From April 2005 to January 2008 Evans recruited women from China to come to the spa to provide sexual services to clients. Victims believed they would have legitimate jobs as masseuses. When the victims refused to work, they were told they could not leave and were threatened that immigration authorities would be called. The women were available to customers 12 hours a day, six days a week. The victims were give $15 for each customer, of the $60 to $65 fee they were charged. Total profits from the business totaled $195,000.
CSEC2008
United States US
The police would not prosecute the men for trafficking because at the time there was no federal law against trafficking, kidnapping, or rape and the case was too late to prosecute.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Todd B. Barkau, with the assistance of the victim’s mother, obtained control of the then-12-year-old girl in 2000. With her mother’s knowledge and consent, Barkau sexually groomed and trained the child to become a BDSM (bondage-domination-sadism-masochism) sexual dominatrix. He did so by engaging in BDSM activities with the child himself, forcing her to engage in sexual activities with other men while he watched, and using BDSM pornography over the Internet to teach her techniques and skills to use as a dominatrix. Barkau resided in the same home as the child and her mother, who allowed Barkau to engage in BDSM activities with the child and teach the child techniques to become a sexual dominatrix. When the child was 14 years old, Barkau created a business out of the home where he advertised the child over the Internet as a 19-to-20-year-old BDSM dominatrix, “Mistress Alisha,” on a website that he created called www.EvilMistressAlisha.com. The victim’s mother suggested the name “Alisha” for the child because it was her own former stripper name. For two years, Barkau sold the child, as “Mistress Alisha,” to sexually dominate men during online web sessions and in-person BDSM activities. This included, among other things, bondage, beatings, burning, and genital mutilation. The customers paid for the sexual services via PayPal cash transfers and with “tributes,” which were products that served in lieu of cash payment; for example, a DVD player, a cappuccino machin,e and other electronics. The victim’s mother knew the child was performing as “Mistress Alisha” on the Internet and in her home and witnessed some of the sessions herself. In committing the offenses, Barkau utilized the victim’s mother to assist and encourage the child to serve as the dominatrix for Barkau’s illegal BDSM business. The victim’s mother accepted financial benefits from Barkau in exchange for her cooperation and support of the child’s BDSM activities. http://kansascity.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/kc050510a.htm
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
47 year old man nicknamed " Prince" and 49 year old women nicknamed "China" both from the New Jersey area. They used heorin and beatings to mantain control over the many victims.
Forced Criminality2008
United States US
Authorities were contacted multiple times before the workers were finally emancipated. Some of the first to report their suspicions were neighbors of the crime family. They noticed and reported domestic violence they saw suspected from the house. The neighbors also realized that an unsually large amount of people lived in one house. All 62 victims lived in one house, including 12 children, and three pregnant women. At first, neighbors were too scared to call police because they thought that the Mexicans were illegal aliens. When police began to make searches of the house, they came during working hours, while no one was home. As of 2006, 27 of the victims still inhabited the US. Two of the ringleaders in the crime, a decade after the fact, were given 13 year sentences, although there likely sentences will be five years. However, the Paoletti-Lemus ramily was court ordered to give out $1.4 million in restitution.
CSEC2008
United States US
The FBI and local law enforcement agents orchestrated a nationwide sting. Undercover cops posed as Jons and arrested prostitutes soliciting sex at bars/nightclubs, casinos, truck stops, and Internet sites such as Craig’s list. The sting operations were used to determine whether or not the girls were less than 18 years of age. If so, they were taken into custody and treated as a trafficking victim.
CSEC2008
United States US
This case was investigated by a law enforcement team that was spearheaded by FBI Special Agent Sean O'Malley. Special Agent O'Malley was assisted by IRS Special Agent Colin Burns; the Bridgeport, Conn., Stratford, Conn., Colonie, N.Y., Miami Beach, Fla., and Milford, Mass., Police Departments; and the Connecticut State Police. (this information was found in an article on http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-14-2008/0004774504&EDATE=)
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
In 2004, Roman Valdma was sentenced to 41 months in prison and three years supervised release for charges of importation of aliens for immoral purposes, transportation for illegal sexual activity, persuading and enticing illegal sexual activity, encouraging and inducing aliens to come to the US in violation of the law, brining na alien to the US without official authorization for commercial advantage, and visa fraud. Valdma was also ordered to pay a $75,000 fine, and to forfeit $80,000 in cash, a car, and a condo to the government.
Domestic Servitude2008
United States US
Jefferson Calimlim Sr. and his wife Elnora, doctors in Milwaukee, recruited and brought the victim from the Philippines to the U.S. in 1985 when she was 19 years old. The victim was not allowed to go outside of the couple's home, communicate or socialize, and had to hide in the basement whenever non-family members were at the house. The victim was told she would be arrested and deported is she was found. The couple told the victim that her wages would be kept in an account, however she had no idea where the account was and could not access it.
Domestic Servitude2008
United States US
Tahira Juma, a Boston University School of Public Health graduate student, and her husband Saleem Al-Khaboriof, an engineer, faced a federal lawsuit for "engaging in human trafficking and modern day slavery" in 2004. The couple came to Boston in January 2003, from their native country of Oman so that Juma could study at Boston University, according to the suit. Naseem Mohamed Siraj, who had been a member of the couple's household staff in Oman, alleged that the couple threatened to abandon her in Oman with no money to return to her family in India, where she has three children, if she didn't come with them to Boston. In Boston, Siraj was forced to care around-the-clock for four children ages 4-10 and was paid sporadic amounts totaling about $1,250 for 15 months. She had no bed and was fed only the children's leftovers, according to the suit. She was never allowed to leave the home alone and endured "a constant barrage of verbal taunts, abusive language and disobedient behavior from the children," the suit claims. When she vowed to leave, her employers "intimidated Mrs. Siraj by telling her that if she left, she would be arrested and thrown in jail."
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Chai Hock Ng trafficked three women from Indonesia to work in brothels first in Connecticut then in Brooklyn. The victims knew the man as Johnny, who recruited them, saying that for $3,000 the women would receive a falsified visa, a plane ticket, and a restaurant job in New York. After arriving, the women were told they would be working as prostitutes, and threatened with being shot by Ng and several of his friends. The victims were forced to have sex with men, who were charged $140 for 45 minutes, and told that they now owed Ng $30,000 and that he would make arrangements to sell them to brothels in order to collect his money.
Bonded Labor2008
United States US
Lev Trakhtenberg and two associates recruited Russian women to come to the US with the promise of legitimate jobs performing cultural dance shows, good pay, and housing accomnnodations. After arriving, the victims were forced to work in strip clubs and threatened physically and emotionally if they did not do as they were told. After one of the victims escaped, Trakhtenberg threatened to physically harm her family in Russia if they did not pay the money he claimed she owed. Between summer of 1999 and August, 2002 Trakhtenberg and his associates brought more than 25 victims to the US to work in his clubs. Victims worked dancing nude in clubs six days a week, for eight to ten hours a day. They were forced to pay $1,200 to Trakhtenberg. They had their passports and travel documents taken
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Alex Babaev and Asker Memmedov recruited women to come to the US from Azerbajaijan to work as prostitutes. From March 2003 to March 2004 women were forced to work through violence and verbal threats. The victims were told they could keep half of the earning from working, but received none of it, and had their passports taken.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Multiple arrests were made, with 4 convictions to date: *Ronald H. Tills (18 months in prison) *John Trowbridge (two years probation after) *Michael R. Stebick (probation for two years, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and directed to provide 250 hours of community service) *Len Wah Chong (six years in prison, five years supervised release)
CSEC2008
United States US
Specific details unknown. Only information known is that a neighbor took the child to a local hospital because she was complaining of stomach pain. By this time the girl was 13 years old. It was soon discovered that she was 6 months pregnant. She had an emergency C-section ahd gave birth to a baby boy.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
The trafficker is Harrison "Hardbody" Norris, a former professional wrestler. He has two residences in Cartersville, GA. It is known that he has been running prostitution rings in Atlanta, GA since 2001. Norris, with several partners, operated a scheme where they recruited vulnerable women and promised them that they could train to be professional wrestlers. Instead, the women were held captive, physically abused, held in debt, and forced to perform numerous sexual acts against their will. Norris also had several of the women perform domestic work on his house such as painting and laying sod.
Forced Labor2008
United States US
Two people have been arrested for allegedly withholding pay from two of their employees and threatening them with deportation. The FBI took Young Jo Kwon and his wife, Jessie Kwon, into custody Tuesday and charged them with five counts of theft and forgery. The Kwons are accused of forcing two South Korean immigrant employees to work without pay while they were the owners of Osaka Sushi in Denver. They allegedly threatened two of their employees with the revocation of their "sponsorship," which the Kwons claimed would result in the deportation of the employees' families. One of the informed the FBI that Young Jo Kwon claimed ties to the Korean mafia, and Kwon allegedly told Choi "he knew how to hurt someone who did not obey."
CSEC2008
United States US
Jorge Flores-Rojas, 44, an undocumented Mexican national trafficked two illegal minors between Charlotte, NC and Washington DC, one 17 year old Mexican girl and one 16 year old Honduran girl. He physically assaulted and abused the 16 year old Honduran girl, in order to make her perform the sexual acts. Jorge Flores-Rojas paid other persons to smuggle these victims from Mexico into the United States.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Four women were arrested in connection with a prostitution ring. The women, who were not identified, are in Geauga County Safety Center awaiting a Korean interpreter. Geauga Sheriff Dan McClelland said they are awaiting the interpreter to get the women's names, citizenship status and charges sorted out. One woman was taken to University Hospital's Geauga Health Center for treatment after she suffered an anxiety attack. Sheriff officials launched an undercover investigation after learning that the spa, 8386 Mayfield Road, offered more than massages.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
The trafficker imported Asian women for the use of forced prostitution in the Coure de Lane area.
CSEC2008
United States US
Jose Tecum trafficked Maria Choz from her home in Guatemala through Mexico and Arizona to his home in Southern Florida. The victim was forced to work on Tecum’s tomato-picking crew during the day, and required to give Tecum her earnings. At night, she was sexually assaulted by Tecum, who destroyed her identification cards.
Sex Trafficking2008
United States US
Ashley was arrested for prostitution, and then emancipated.
Domestic Servitude2008
United States US
In 2001, Elizabeth Jackson arranged to have Nena Ruiz (of the Philippines) brought to the U.S. to work as traveling companion and caretaker for Jackson's mother. After arrival, Ruiz lived with Jackson and her husband James. Jackson then confiscated the victim's passport, and used intimidation and threats of deportation to keep her from leaving. The victim was forced to work 16-18-hour days while being paid less than $400 a year. The victim, Nena Ruiz, was also forced to sleep on a dog bed in the family's living room. Elizabeth also hit the pulled the victim's hair, and hit her.
CSEC2008
United States US
Marlin Williams has been convicted of human trafficking and is due for his sentencing in November, 2008. He could be sentenced for 46 months up to 54 years.