Traffic stop leads to unexpected human trafficking sting in Seekonk

https://www.wpri.com/news/local-news/se-mass/traffic-stop-leads-to-unexpected-human-trafficking-sting-in-seekonk/

11th Circuit Upholds Sentencing of Man Behind Miami Beach Student Sex Trafficking

The federal appeals court affirmed the 30-year prison sentence given to defendant Jeffrey Cooper by Chief U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore. Cooper's appeal contended the prosecution acted improperly and submitted insufficient evidence to convict him on charges of sex trafficking.

https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2019/06/11/11th-circuit-upholds-sentencing-of-man-behind-miami-beach-student-sex-trafficking/

'Reign of Terror': New York City Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Girls as Young as 8 Years Old

Claudius English, 45 and of the Bronx, faces a possible term of life in prison at the time of his sentencing, prosecutors say

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/New-York-City-Man-Convicted-Sex-Trafficking-Girls-Young-8-Years-Old-Fed-Prosecutors-511139881.html

Claudius English Convicted Of Sex Trafficking Minors, Kidnapping, And Use Of A Firearm

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/claudius-english-convicted-sex-trafficking-minors-kidnapping-and-use-firearm

Sex trafficking among charges for Texas woman

https://www.americanpress.com/news/crime/sex-trafficking-among-charges-for-texas-woman/article_0184f393-2892-5713-a1c2-644dd16177ad.html

Michigan Child Sex Sting Operation Catches 22 Suspects

https://heavy.com/news/2019/06/genesee-county-sex-sting/

Trump Signs Law to Punish Websites for Sex Trafficking

https://gvwire.com/2019/06/10/trump-signs-law-to-punish-websites-for-sex-trafficking/

Suspected pimp 1 of 13 busted in human trafficking crackdown

Joint operation between FBI, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/suspected-pimp-arrested-in-human-trafficking-crackdown

La Luz del Mundo Church Leader Accused of Sex Crimes

Former Santa Maria Pastor Naasón Joaquín García Charged with 25 Felony Counts

https://www.independent.com/2019/06/09/la-luz-del-mundo-church-leader-accused-of-sex-crimes/

Hays County jury convicts man to life plus 630 years on trafficking, child pornography case

https://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/news/hays-county-jury-convicts-man-life-plus-630-years-trafficking-child-pornography-case

Ontario man is arrested for allegedly being involved in human trafficking of two victims

https://www.fontanaheraldnews.com/news/inland_empire_news/ontario-man-is-arrested-for-allegedly-being-involved-in-human/article_0238e3aa-8a17-11e9-bd92-d7d5df9499ba.html

Man who introduced murdered teen to pimp going to prison

https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2019/06/08/man-who-introduced-murdered-teen-to-pimp-going-to-prison/

Man accused of forcing women into sex trade pleads guilty

Richard Moffett, 31, faces maximum sentence of life in prison

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/jacksonville/man-accused-of-befriending-women-forcing-them-into-sex-trade

Woman previously charged with child sex trafficking faces new charges

https://www.weau.com/content/news/Woman-previously-charged-with-child-sex-trafficking-faces-new-charges-510985002.html

Two migrant rights’ activists arrested for human trafficking

One is director of an organization that has helped migrant caravans travel through Mexico

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/activists-arrested-for-human-trafficking/

6.8.19

Cops bust human trafficking ring with arrests of 11

KUALA LUMPUR: A human trafficking syndicate believed to be smuggling Sri Lankan nationals to European countries has been crippled by police here.

The syndicate believed to be run by a Malaysian facilitator and two escorts allegedly hid its "clients" all over Kuala Lumpur before smuggling them out of the country.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/08/cops-bust-human-trafficking-ring-with-arrests-of-11/

6.9.19

Report: Migrant Criminals Claim to Be Trafficked Children to Evade Justice

Theresa May’s modern slavery bill is being abused by allowing criminal migrants to claim they are under 18 and the victims of trafficking in order to avoid arrest, according to an investigation by the Sunday Times.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/06/10/modern-slavery-bill-being-exploited-criminal-migrants-posing-children/

Immigration rescues 28 victims, arrests 8 traffickers, 12 end-users in Oyo

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in Oyo State on Saturday said it rescued no fewer than twenty-eight victims of child trafficking between January and April this year.

“The phenomenon of human trafficking has become in Nigeria, a big illegal criminal business. Occurrences of these businesses are more prominent in Oyo, Edo and Delta states of Nigeria.

The fear in Nigeria of sudden disappearance of children and adults to migration and human trafficking is real and palpable.

He said, “The Immigration service in Oyo State has rescued several children of ages between 6 and 10 years. “These are mostly used as house-helps, shop attendants and vendors/hawkers. In 2016 we rescued 134 victims and arrested 38 traffickers, 107 end-users with 11 victims, 4 traffickers processed to NAPTIP.

“The phenomenon of human trafficking has become in Nigeria, a big illegal criminal business. Occurrences of these businesses are more prominent in Oyo, Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. The fear in Nigeria of sudden disappearance of children and adults to migration and human trafficking is real and palpable.

The problems posed by these issues have far-reaching effects on Nigerian’s image to the outside world. Recent media reports tend to portray Nigeria as a major hub for illicit movements of persons.

Italy used to be the destination of most trafficked victims from Nigeria but with high mortality rate on the desert and the Meditaranian Sea in Lampedusa, the traffickers tend to have changed destination to the Arab world.

The latest operational system of these traffickers today is a promise of a lucrative job in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, Qartar, Oman, Libya etc. They recruit ladies from here to be shipped to the Arab world. Most of who end up in prostitution, while others employed see the travails of these trafficked persons on all information as house helps known as ‘Shagala’.

https://dailypost.ng/2019/06/09/immigration-rescues-28-victims-arrests-8-traffickers-12-end-users-oyo/

6.10.19

Milwaukee man faces federal sex trafficking charges in case spanning multiple states, decades

Calvin Freeman, 41, was charged in October in Milwaukee County with human trafficking and battery, but federal court documents showed police began to peel back the layers of Freeman's history, finding he "has been involved in an extensive human trafficking organization" spanning at least six states and decades – dating back to at least the early 2000s.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs seeks to silence media on bride trafficking

Embarrassed by recent reports of Pakistani women marrying Chinese citizens and facing enormous difficulties there, Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants all government officials and the media to be silenced on this subject.

https://www.timesnownews.com/videos/times-now/india/pakistans-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-seeks-to-silence-media-on-bride-trafficking/33870

Chihuahua Governor: Criminals profiting from migrant trafficking over US-Mexico border

EL PASO, Texas — The governor of Chihuahua says migrant trafficking is a profitable source of income for organized crime and that is one of the reasons why Juarez will be among the first places where Mexico’s newly created National Guard will be deployed.

“The trafficking of Central Americans is one of the biggest money-makers for organized crime. It’s a multimillion-dollar business, with trips being sold for up to $14,000. The migrant surge has become a good business for many people, particularly for organized criminals,” Gov. Javier Corral said on Monday.

https://www.ktsm.com/news/chihuahua-governor-criminals-profiting-from-migrant-trafficking-over-us-mexico-border/

6.11.19

Thai police rescue 38 Malaysia-bound Myanmar human trafficking victims

SONGKHLA: Thailand police foiled a human trafficking syndicate’s operation when they rescued 38 Myanmar nationals in a raid at Patong, Hatyai, here.

Director of the Royal Thai Police’s Centre for Children, Women, Family Protection, and Anti-Trafficking in Persons Police General Suchat Theerasawat said all the victims including a woman was locked up in a rented house and were to be smuggled into Malaysia.

https://www.nst.com.my/world/2019/06/495448/thai-police-rescue-38-malaysia-bound-myanmar-human-trafficking-victims

6.13.19

Stranded Rohingya people linked to trafficking

Police said on Thursday there is enough evidence to press human trafficking charges against the captain and crew of a boat carrying 65 Rohingya Muslims that was shipwrecked this week on a southern island.

Many Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1694484/stranded-rohingya-people-linked-to-trafficking

6.14.19

Kingpin of gang involved in trafficking children from Punjab arrested

The Mumbai police have claimed a breakthrough in a major human trafficking racket involving children from Punjab following the arrest of a city-based transporter earlier this week.

According to police, the businessman was one of the key links between traffickers in Punjab and agents in Europe who helped children from the agrarian state to enter France illegally. “The traffickers exploited loopholes in French laws and got the children to enter France illegally. Once the children turned 18 they would apply for citizenship under local laws,” a police official said.

The racket first came to light in 2017 when three people, including a woman, were caught while trying to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with four young boys, two of who were 14. The children had visas for Bosnia and Herzegovina where they were ostensibly going to shoot for a film.

While two of the traffickers, Arif Farooki and Rajesh Pawar, posed as cameramen and guardians of the boys, their woman accomplice Fatema Fareed posed as their mother. The children were tutored to say that they were being cast in a film being shot abroad.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/kingpin-of-gang-involved-in-trafficking-children-from-punjab-arrested/787854.html

6.15.19

Two held for human trafficking

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Police Anti-human trafficking Research Bureau has arrested two persons on the charge of trafficking 15 Nepalis in the name of foreign employment.

Rahul Thapa,36, of Khotang and Lokman Rai,44, of Sankhuwasabha were arrested on Friday. They have been accused of charging Rs. 500,000 to 800,000 from job aspirations and taking them to Libya via New Delhi, Pakistan and Dubai to eventually be trafficked.

https://english.khabarhub.com/2019/15/26403/

Three people arrested in connection to sexual trafficking in Ventura county

Jovantay Bess, 23, from Fresno • Cirsten Joseph, 26, from Newbury Park • Allan Sherman, 29, from Bakersfield

https://www.keyt.com/news/ventura-county/three-people-arrested-in-connection-to-sexual-trafficking-in-ventura-county/1087680295

Ex-Scientology member sues church and its leader alleging abuse, human trafficking

The complaint, filed by a woman who went to work for anti-Scientology campaigner Leah Remini, is the first of many, her attorneys say.

The woman who filed the lawsuit, identified in court papers as "Jane Doe," said she was raised in the church from birth and at age 15 became a personal steward to Miscavige, whose formal title is chairman of the church's Religious Technology Center.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/ex-scientology-member-sues-church-its-leader-alleging-abuse-human-n1019506

Tulare County man sentenced 30 years in prison for sex trafficking underage girls

Myron Johnson, 21, pleaded no contest to four felony counts of human trafficking of a minor

https://abc30.com/tulare-county-man-sentenced-30-years-in-prison-for-sex-trafficking/5353950/

After loss at sea, Venezuelan archbishop calls for trafficking probe

MEXICO CITY (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A top Vatican official in Venezuela has called on authorities to investigate a rise in human trafficking after an apparent smuggling operation gone wrong left more than a dozen people missing.

Archbishop Roberto Luckert in an open letter published on Facebook on Tuesday said the sinking of a boat carrying Venezuelan migrants to Trinidad and Tobago in April showed the dire consequences of trafficking.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-trafficking-archbishop/after-loss-at-sea-venezuelan-archbishop-calls-for-trafficking-probe-idUSKCN1TK392

Self-help guru found guilty in lurid sex-trafficking case (NXIVM)

The former leader of a purported self-help group was convicted Wednesday on federal charges that centered on lurid details of what prosecutors called a secret society of "sex slaves" within a community of followers in upstate New York.

https://news.yahoo.com/self-help-guru-found-guilty-210529042.html

Bail granted for Saskatoon woman facing human trafficking charges

A Saskatoon woman facing human trafficking offences has been released on bail with plans to “vehemently” fight the allegations against her, according to her lawyer.

Speaking outside court following Monday’s bail hearing, defence lawyer Kevin Hill said Dilshad Ali Zada, 23, plans to plead not guilty to the 10 charges she faces.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5401226/bail-granted-saskatoon-human-trafficking-charges/

Florida man arrested in Topeka on human trafficking count

According to the Topeka Police Dept., Evan H. Vollerthum, 35, was booked into the Shawnee Co. jail on counts of aggravated human trafficking and attempted commercial sexual exploitation of a child.

https://www.wibw.com/content/news/Florida-man-arrested-in-Topeka-on-human-trafficking-count-511426932.html

Orange County YouTuber who raps about pimping faces human trafficking charges

BenjiBoy Staccs/Angel Ortiz Diamond, 31, of Los Angeles, has been charged with one felony count of pimping and one felony count of pandering. He has entered a not-guilty plea and is being held without bail.

https://abc7.com/oc-youtuber-who-raps-about-pimping-faces-human-trafficking-charges/5350542/

Sacramento man and woman arrested on suspicion of child sex trafficking, officials say

Eva Symone Christian, 22, was arrested Friday, and Robert Pierre Duncan, 24, was arrested May 31, officials said. The suspects face two charges — conspiring to engage in sex trafficking and sex trafficking of a child.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article231658213.html

Glastonbury businessman sentenced to 10 years in human trafficking case

DANBURY — A Connecticut businessman was sentenced for his role in what prosecutors call a human trafficking ring that preyed on young men who were mentally ill and intellectually disabled.

A state judge in Danbury sentenced Bruce Bemer, of Glastonbury on Monday to 20 years in prison, execution suspended after 10 years, with 5 years probation. Bemer posted an appeal bond of $750,000 and was released.

Bemer, the owner of the New London-Waterford Speedbowl racetrack, has admitted he patronized prostitutes, but denies any role in human trafficking.

https://fox61.com/2019/06/16/businessman-faces-sentencing-in-human-trafficking-case/

Nashville man gets 15 years in child sex trafficking case

A Nashville man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison in a sex trafficking case involving a 13-year-old girl.

U.S. Attorney Don Cochran said Brittan Ezekiel Kettles was convicted by a federal jury in June 2018 after a three-day trial in U.S. District Court.

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/nashville-man-gets-15-years-in-child-sex-trafficking-case

2019 Trafficking in Persons Report

https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-trafficking-in-persons-report/

6.17.19

Man facing charges after dropping 17-year-old off for prostitution date

BEAVERTON, OR (KPTV) – A Grants Pass man was jailed and is facing charges after Beaverton police say he dropped off a 17-year-old for a prostitution date.

Uriel Alberto-Toledo, 32, was arrested June 6 for compelling prostitution, according to law enforcement. A grand jury indicted him last week on charges of compelling prostitution of a minor, a Measure 11 charge, and two counts of promoting prostitution.

https://www.kptv.com/news/beaverton-police-man-facing-charges-after-dropping–year-old/article_3d2044ee-9139-11e9-8781-bbf1b53ac5dd.html

Man charged with human trafficking

Police have charged a man who lured young girls to send him obscene photos of themselves online with human trafficking and having in possession child pornography.

Police later identified the suspect as a graphic designer working for a TV station.

Police arrested him at his house in Bangkok on June 5 and found evidence on his computer, mobile phones, tablet and hard disks. A check found almost 50 girls had fallen victim.

They added the suspect targeted girls aged 13-18 and used a Facebook account claiming to be a modelling agency to attract young girls. He then persuaded them to send the clips and photos which he later sold to a Line chat app group.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1696816/man-charged-with-human-trafficking

6.18.19

Mexico to reinforce fight against human trafficking: FM

MEXICO CITY, June 17 (Xinhua) – The Mexican government will reinforce its fight against human trafficking, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Monday.

"In this government, that is the instruction we have been given by the president … we should not be allowing human trafficking. Perhaps we are facing one of the most serious human trafficking in the world," Ebrard said.

He was referring to the rescue over the weekend of nearly 800 people in the eastern state of Veracruz, who were traveling hidden in eight trailers.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-06/18/c_138152877.htm

6.19.19

Sex trafficking trial set for late August

A Cartersville Police Department arrest warrant accuses Jennifer Lea Short, 37, of prostituting her own underage daughter for $100.

http://www.daily-tribune.com/stories/sex-trafficking-trial-set-for-late-august,22485

Navy intercepts boat trafficking 100 to Malaysia

Personnel of Naval Intelligence Service Unit 62, Naval Special Operations Unit 6, and BRP Waray (LC-288) intercepted M/L Lady Rosmina around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday in response to tips that the boat would be transporting trafficking victims.

According to naval intelligence, the victims are from different parts of the country and were to be transported to Sandakan, Malaysia through Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/06/19/1927816/navy-intercepts-boat-trafficking-100-malaysia

6.20.19

’Significant military/US Navy nexus' found in Kitsap human trafficking bust

The searches lead to the arrest of a 51-year-old woman for prostitution and promoting prostitution, a 54-year-old woman for prostitution, a 57-year-old woman for resisting arrest and promoting prostitution, and a 61-year-old woman for prostitution.

https://komonews.com/news/local/several-illegal-massage-parlors-in-kitsap-co-busted-for-human-trafficking

‘Brothels Were Being Run by the Police’: Harrowing Documentary Reveals Sex-Trafficking Horrors of Varanasi, India

“If anyone wants to experience heaven and hell on earth, they should spend at least a day with one of these girls living in these brothels …”

https://www.theepochtimes.com/brothels-were-being-run-by-the-police-harrowing-documentary-reveals-sex-trafficking-horrors-of-varanasi-india_2968753.html

Four human traffickers jailed for life over migrant truck deaths

A court in Hungary on Thursday sentenced an Afghan ring leader and three Bulgarian accomplices to life in prison over the deaths of 71 migrants four years ago. The men were found guilty of human trafficking and manslaughter. Three of the traffickers would have no possibility of parole, while the fourth would serve a minimum of 30 years.

https://www.dw.com/en/four-human-traffickers-jailed-for-life-over-migrant-truck-deaths/a-49274235

6.21.19

China police raids rescue more than 1,100 trafficked women

BEIJING — Chinese police rescued 1,130 abducted foreign women in the second half of last year in coordinated operations with five Southeast Asian countries, the Ministry of Public Security said Friday.

Police arrested 1,322 suspects, including 262 foreigners, for allegedly luring and kidnapping women after promising jobs or marriages, the ministry said, in what appears to be the largest such operation to date.

https://www.tribdem.com/news/china-police-raids-rescue-more-than-trafficked-women/article_e6b13984-eca6-500a-933f-a142b5db1e85.html

6.21.19

Weinstein fights sex trafficking claims in actress' lawsuit

The lawyers filed papers in Manhattan federal court to try to persuade a judge to reject Wedil David's trafficking claims.

David's lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles in 2017 and moved to New York, said Weinstein raped her in late 2015 after using the promise of a role in a television series, "Marco Polo," to lure her to a Beverly Hills hotel.

They argued that the sex trafficking act was established to criminalize slavery, involuntary servitude and human trafficking for commercial gain.

"Attempting to apply the Act to this case is an utter perversion of the legislative intent behind the statute," they wrote. "There are no allegations of slavery, involuntary servitude, or human trafficking in the instant case.”

https://www.kearneyhub.com/weinstein-fights-sex-trafficking-claims-in-actress-lawsuit/article_1e8e49d2-be6d-5b2b-942f-59a5187b0b76.html

6.21.2019

Scientology & Leader David Miscavige Sued For Child Abuse, Human Trafficking & Libel

A series of lawsuits were filed against the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige by a team of eight victims’ rights attorneys on Tuesday on behalf of defectors who say they suffered a range of exploitation from child abuse, human trafficking and forced labor.

The lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of an unnamed Jane Doe born in 1979, outlines her lifetime of alleged suffering in Scientology. She states that she was subjected to abuse as a child at the Clearwater headquarters and Scientology’s spiritual counseling, which can more resemble interrogation. According to Doe, she joined the church’s clergy-like Sea Org in California at 15, where people worked 100 hours a week for $46. She was at times held against her will, but she officially left Scientology in 2017. After she left, she was followed by private investigators and terrorized by the church as it published a “hate website” falsely stating she was an alcoholic dismissed from the sect for promiscuity.

“This isn’t going to be the last of the lawsuits being filed,” Philadelphia-based attorney Brian Kent told the Tampa Bay Times. He declined to say how many more lawsuits are forthcoming.

https://uinterview.com/news/scientology-leader-david-miscavige-sued-for-child-abuse-human-trafficking-libel/

Pikeville man pleads guilty to sex trafficking young girls

55-year-old Ernest Ray admitted to recruiting girls under the age of 18 for sex acts and paid them with alcohol, money and drugs.

https://www.wtvq.com/2019/06/21/report-pikeville-man-pleads-guilty-sex-trafficking-minors/

Harrisburg man sentenced in sex trafficking case

32-year-old Miguel Arnold guilty on five counts. That includes sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, as well as sex trafficking of a minor.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Arnold was operating a business, selling women for sex across the region.

The jury heard from one of the victims who says she was tricked into thinking it was an escort business.

https://local21news.com/news/local/harrisburg-man-sentenced-in-sex-trafficking-case

6.22.2019

3 more arrested for sex trafficking of teen Louisiana

Arrested were Jason D. Bryant,19, felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, bond, $1.5 million; Tyler D. Lawson, 26, felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile, bond, $250,000; and Kelly Johnson Jr., 27, first-degree rape, bond, $2 million.

Chinese, Pakistani Traffickers Force New Wives into Prostitution

n her first phone calls home to her mother in Pakistan, Natasha could not tell her mother the truth.

Her family had sold her to a Chinese man with a marriage contract. She would only tell her mother that her new husband was torturing her. Finally, she told her mother the truth: her husband was keeping her in a hotel and forcing her to have sex with men for money. He forced her to work as a prostitute.

Her mother asked her small church in the Pakistani city of Faisalabad for help. Some members of the church put together a plan to rescue the girl from the hotel more than 1000 kilometers away. It worked and Natasha got back home.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/china-pakistan-traffickers-force-brides-into-prostitution/4963912.html

6.28.19

Social services brainwashed kids into thinking they were abused, sold them to foster parents

Eighteen people have been arrested in relation to a case in which children were brainwashed into believing they had been sexually abused by a parent and then sold to foster families.

The paying clients, friends or acquaintances of the child trafficking ring included sex shop owners, people whose own children had committed suicide, and people with mental illnesses.

At least two of the children were subsequently sexually abused by their new guardians.

According to Italy’s Agenzia ANSA, those arrested include Andrea Carletti, the mayor of the small town of Bibbiano, politicians, doctors, social workers, psychologists and physiotherapists. The police operation, codenamed “Angels and Demons,” centered on a network of social service workers from the Val D’Enza area, “accused of having made false reports to take children away from their families and to place them in foster care.”

https://www.lifesitenews.com/pulse/social-services-brainwashed-kids-into-thinking-they-were-abused-sold-them-to-foster-parents

Brampton man charged after sex-trafficking investigation in Mississauga

A 38-year-old Brampton man has been arrested and charged after a human-trafficking investigation in Mississauga.

The Peel Regional Police vice unit began an investigation in February 2019 after a 26-year-old woman was exploited in the sex trade over a six-year period.

Police allege the suspect controlled all aspects of the victim’s life and profited from exploiting her.

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/06/28/brampton-man-charged-after-sex-trafficking-investigation-in-mississauga.html

6.30.19

Chhattisgarh: Man accused of raping, trafficking minor girl commits suicide

RAIPUR: In a major twist, one of the ten accused booked for rape and forced prostitution on a minor girl in Mungeli district, has committed suicide at Chakarbhata railway station in Bilaspur on Sunday morning. Police said there was no suicide note

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/chhattisgarh-man-accused-of-raping-trafficking-minor-girl-commits-suicide/articleshow/70015398.cms

Kolkata teenager rescued by human trafficking team from Navi Mumbai

AHTU traces girl within six hours of receiving information

The Anti Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of Navi Mumbai rescued a 15-year-old girl from Bamandongri in Ulwe within six hours of receiving a message from a Delhi-based NGO.

The Navi Mumbai Commissioner’s office received an email on Friday around noon from Shakti Vahini informing them of a teenager from Kolkata kidnapped on June 9. “The email said, the accused convinced the girl that he would get her a job in Navi Mumbai and took her away without the consent of her parents following which they registered a case of kidnapping in Kolkata,” senior police inspector Arjun Garad from AHTU said. The email said the victim had contacted some friends and using the technical information, her location was traced to Bamandongri,

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/kolkata-teenager-rescued-by-human-trafficking-team-from-navi-mumbai/article28231301.ece

Sundance co-founder gets at least 6 years in sex abuse case

AMERICAN FORK, Utah (AP) — A filmmaker who co-founded the Sundance Film Festival and produced a movie whose lead actress won an Oscar in the mid-1980s was sentenced Tuesday to at least six years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual abuse of a child.

The judge who delivered the sentence of six years to life said that he hopes the parole board will keep 72-year-old Sterling Van Wagenen in prison longer than the minimum.

Judge Robert Griffin commended the young victim for reporting what happened. Prosecutors say Van Wagenen touched a young girl on two occasions between 2013 and 2015.

https://apnews.com/421594f114cf4f5fbd7acb41cdf47c9f?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=APWestRegion

Bipartisan bill aims to stop child pornography trafficking on Defense Department's network

Washington (CNN)A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Tuesday introduced a bill that would crack down on the use of the Department of Defense internet network for trafficking child pornography.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified over 5,000 individuals, several of whom are affiliated with the Defense Department, who subscribe to child pornography websites in an investigation called "Project Flicker." A subsequent inquiry by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service tagged hundreds of Defense Department affiliates as suspects in child pornography cases, according to a news release.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat, and Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican, would help the Defense Department stamp out use of its computers and network to access and share child pornography. The legislation would bolster training, improve technical capacities and require collaboration with both law enforcement and social service providers.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/02/politics/house-bill-defense-department-network-child-pornography/index.html

Columbus man sentenced to 7 years for luring victim into human trafficking

40-year-old Derrick Wade Troutman

https://www.10tv.com/article/columbus-man-sentenced-7-years-luring-victim-human-trafficking-2019-jul

Woman accused in connection with sex trafficking case back in jail after failing to appear in court

Della Lou Griffin, 52, was arrested Friday

Griffin came to the attention of law enforcement as part of an investigation into human trafficking by Texas Department of Public Safety that resulted in multiple life sentences for one man, Kenneth Nelson, and a 130-year prison sentence for another, Charles Garton.

A third man, John Littleton, charged in connection with the case has died before being brought to trial. Investigators have speculated that Littleton's death may have been a suicide, according to testimony given at Garton's and Nelson's jury trials.

http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texarkana/story/2019/jul/01/woman-accused-connection-sex-trafficking-case-back-jail-after-failing-appear-court/784923/

3 arrests in Mahnomen sex trafficking sting

The three arrested were identified by the White Earth Reservation as Steven Bergren, 46, of Lake Park, Shane Lehn, 35, of Rothsay and Michael Skjerven, 59, of Thief River Falls.

https://www.inforum.com/news/crime-and-courts/2737496-3-arrests-in-Mahnomen-sex-trafficking-sting

Highland Park Man Charged with Kidnapping and Human Trafficking a Young Girl

Andrew X. Carnegie-Blackman has been arrested in Highland Park.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ - A man from Highland Park has been arrested and charged with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 16-year old teenager from Pennsylvania that he met on social media. He is also charged with first-degree human trafficking.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/east-brunswick/articles/highland-park-man-charged-with-kidnapping-and-human-trafficking-a-young-girl

Infant trafficking: Boy sold in 2011 traced

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/infant-trafficking-boy-sold-in-2011-traced/articleshow/70220270.cms

A 33-year-old Round Lake Beach woman faces charges of sex trafficking involving a 15-year-old girl after an investigation by the Lake County sheriff's office

Sheila E. Johnston of the 1200 block of Sunset Drive was charged with involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, promoting juvenile prostitution and prostitution

https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20190713/round-lake-beach-woman-charged-with-sex-trafficking

Madison man sentenced to 25 years for sex trafficking

Erin J. Graham, 37, was convicted following a five-day jury trail in Madison in April.

https://www.channel3000.com/news/madison-man-sentenced-to-25-years-for-sex-trafficking/1094349732

International human trafficking ring busted in the Upstate

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – Four people from the Upstate have been arrested and charged in connection to an extensive human trafficking investigation that likely originated overseas, according to a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations.

The case findings indicated prostitutes and trafficking victims were groomed for commercial sex in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and other South and Central American countries, and would then fly into the United States on six-month travel visas.

“We’re very familiar with large drug trafficking organizations. I don’t think I had the same concept that there could be large commercial sex organizations, where you had huge networks of people that were interconnected that knew to call this person or that person, that knew how to transport women from this state to the next state in the same way,” said Bastoni.

https://www.wspa.com/news/investigations/behind-closed-doors-international-human-trafficking-ring-busted-in-the-upstate/

York deputies arrest man wanted in connection with sex trafficking in Williamsburg

Evan Anthony Cole, 29

https://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-evan-anthony-cole-arrest-0712-story.html

NC man charged with rape, trafficking twin sisters

Derrell Davion Russell, 26, friended the girl on Facebook and lured her and her twin sister from Blacksburg to his hometown of Shelby, North Carolina, where the sex crimes occurred.

https://www.wspa.com/news/nc-man-charged-with-trafficking-twin-girls-and-rape/

Chicago Woman Sentenced For Role as Leader of Sex Trafficking Scheme

Rita Law, 60, of Chicago, Illinois

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndin/pr/hicago-woman-sentenced-role-leader-sex-trafficking-scheme

>>7169802

LOTS of people. Part of their system of slavery. They use frequency & direct energy weapons, & a lot more. Gangstalking - you notice extra traffic around? More info here

https://www.facebook.com/groups/758852074508624/

Judge sentences Aurora sex offender to 22 years in prison for trafficking 2 teenage girls

AURORA | An Aurora sex offender with a history of sexually assaulting children has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for sex trafficking and assaulting two young girls in his Aurora home, according to the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

An Adams County District Court Judge sentenced Raymond Fredericks, 32, to 22 years in prison Thursday. Fredericks pleaded guilty in May to a single felony charge of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude, according to the local DA’s office.

Aurora police arrested Fredericks May 8, 2018 on suspicion of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 14 and 15, in the garage of his home at 3042 Uvalda St. He had been communicating with the two girls over social media for almost a year before the assault, according to DA Dave Young’s office.

Fredericks posted a $20,000 bond two days after he was arrested last year, according to Sue Lindsay, spokeswoman for the Adams County DA’s Office. He was free until he was booked into the Adams County jail following his sentencing hearing this morning, according to county records.

Fredericks has been a sex offender since 2010, when he was convicted of sexually assaulting another child in Denver. He was sentenced to five years of probation and intensive supervision for that crime, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.

“After being released from treatment, he reverted to the problem that got him into trouble the first time,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Christopher Rossi said in a statement. “He immediately got back online and engaged in the same behaviors.”

Prosecutors had asked for the maximum sentence of 24 years in prison.

“(Fredericks) has made it very clear he cannot be trusted to be in the community with these sexual issues he is dealing with,” Rossi said.

In his Aurora case, Fredericks faced eight additional charges, including engaging in child prostitution and sexual assault of a child, that were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to state records.

https://www.sentinelcolorado.com/news/metro/judge-sentences-aurora-sex-offender-to-22-years-in-prison-for-trafficking-2-teenage-girls/

PD: Tempe man with HIV arrested for child molestation, trafficking child porn

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) – Police arrested a Tempe man this week for trafficking child porn of a 5-year-old boy that he babysat, investigators said.

On July 17, a witness contacted Tempe police to tell them that Todd Aillon was selling drugs out of his Tempe home and had child pornography on his computer, court documents said.

During the time of the witness report, Aillon was out of town in Seattle, Washington. Later that day, he returned to Arizona by plane.

Once police retrieved a search warrant, they detained Aillon at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and took his iPhone and other various electronics from him.

During the search of Aillon's home, police confiscated drug-related items and more electronics. On July 22, investigators arrested him for possession of a dangerous drug and took him to Tempe City Jail.

Court documents said that during an interview with investigators, Aillon confessed to having methamphetamine and selling it. He additionally admitted to having child pornography on his electronic devices and exchanging the images and videos with other people in online chats.

In the interview, according to court documents, Aillon said his preferred age range is 8 to 12 years old, but the youngest child pornography he had was with men in sexual acts with newborn babies.

Aillon claimed that the friend he babysat for knew he had a sexual attraction to children but still let him watch the 5-year-old boy, documents said.

In the interview, Aillon said he took naked pictures of the boy and sent them to someone online. The search for the recipient of these pictures is ongoing.

Court documents say the Aillon also revealed that he is HIV positive and had unprotected sex with a 16-year-old child twice in the past six months without the teen knowing his status. A search for the teen is underway.

During Aillon's booking at Tempe City Jail, about 4,500 images and videos portraying chargeable traces of sexual exploitation of a minor were found on his iPhone. Naked pictures of the 5-year-old boy were also discovered on the phone. Tempe Police saw the boy later in person and confirmed he was the one in the pictures.

Aillon's phone is currently under forensic processing to see if any more will be uncovered.

The charges Aillon faces include the possession of sexual exploitation of a minor, the distribution of sexual exploitation of a minor and molestation of a child.

Four men arrested and charged with commercial sex trafficking, three at Alcoa inn

A Sweetwater resident was one of several men arrested Friday during an undercover operation targeting sex trafficking, for reportedly attempting to solicit sex with minors.

Upendrakumar S. Patel, 36, Telford Road, was arrested at 10:14 p.m. July 19 after responding to decoy ads placed on several websites linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases, according to Leslie Earhart, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Patel was charged with two counts of trafficking a minor for a commercial act. He was being held Monday on a $1 million bond pending a hearing Monday in front of Judge William Brewer in Blount County General Sessions Court.

Two other men, Aaron Darrell Fomby, 28, of Detroit, Michigan, and Orlando Moreno-Martinez, 38, of Knoxville, each face one count of trafficking a minor for a sex act.

Both men were being held on $500,000 bonds on Monday.

Blount Conty Sheriff’s booking records show Patel, Fomby and Moreno-Martinez all were arrested at the La Quinta Inn, 126 Cusick Road, Alcoa, early afternoon and late evening on July 19.

Prosecutors rescheduled hearings for the three men for 1:30 p.m. July 29.

Patel initially was assigned a court-appointed attorney but chose to hire private counsel, according to Blount County Assistant District Attorney Ryan Desmond.

A fourth man, Donald Wayne Turner, 45, Knoxville, was arrested on July 20 and charged with promoting prostitution.

He was released Sunday on a $6,000 bond pending a 1:30 p.m. hearing July 29 in Blount County General Sessions Court.

TBI led the investigation, which included members of the Alcoa and Maryville Police departments and the Fifth Judicial Drug Task Force.

It targeted individuals who attempted to solicit girls younger than 18, along with adult prostitutes.

The investigation is ongoing, Earhart said.

https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/four-men-arrested-and-charged-with-commercial-sex-trafficking-three/article_ba24f187-9b6f-5be2-b88f-1ad947ae6f9a.html

Four men arrested in Human Trafficking Operation

BLOUNT COUNTY, TN — According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, an undercover operation conducted by the Human Trafficking Unit of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Alcoa Police Department, the Blount County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryville Police Department, and the 5th Judicial Drug Task Force has resulted in the arrest of four men.

On July 19 and 20, 2019, as part of a joint investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in East Tennessee, authorities placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex cases. The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with females under the age of 18, and those engaged in trafficking others for commercial sex acts.

As a result of the operation, Aaron D. Fomby (11/11/90), of Detroit, Michigan, was arrested and charged with one count of Trafficking a Minor for a Commercial Act. He was booked into the Blount County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Orlando Moreno-Martinez (DOB 1/10/81), of Knoxville, was arrested and charged with one count of Trafficking a Minor for a Commercial Act. He was also booked into the Blount County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Upen Patel (DOB 1/25/83), of Sweetwater, was arrested and charged with two counts of Trafficking a Minor for a Commercial Act. He was booked into the Blount County Jail on a $1 million bond. Donald W. Turner (DOB 7/24/72), of Knoxville, was arrested and charged with Promoting Prostitution. He was booked into the Blount County Jail on a $6,000 bond.

At this time, the investigation remains active and ongoing, with the possibility of additional arrests and charges.

Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com.

Woman charged with trafficking underaged girls to China

Kratie Provincial Court on Saturday charged and jailed a woman for trafficking three underage girls for marriage in China last year.

Colonel Nouv Ratana, chief of the provincial Anti-human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department, yesterday identified the accused as Chim Chantha, a 55-year-old farmer living in Roka Bram commune’s Pong Toek village in Tboung Khmum province’s Tboung Khmum district.

Col Ratana said Ms Chantha was charged with unlawful removal for cross-border transfer following her arrest on Thursday. She added that the accused is facing between seven and 15 years in prison if convicted and is currently in pre-trial detention.

Captain Chan Sopheak, a police officer with the same department, said Ms Chantha was suspected of recruiting girls from poor families in Kratie and Tboung Khmum provinces to be married off to men in China since 2017.

Cap Sopheak said police arrested the accused on Thursday in her house in Tboung Khmum province in accordance with a complaint filed by three victims to Kratie provincial police on July 12 last year.

Cap Sopheak noted that in 2018, Ms Chantha persuaded three underage girls living in Kratie province’s Snuol district to marry Chinese men in China.

Cap Sopheak said that before travelling to China, the accused, through an unidentified woman, paid $3,000 to each of the victim’s family as fee for their daughter.

Cap Sopheak added that the unidentified woman, who is still at large, also prepared the victims for their journey, including arranging their passports, visa and transportation.

“But when the victims arrived in China, a Chinese national, who was the ringleader of the human trafficking group, took their passports and sold them to work as commercial sex workers and masseuses in a karaoke club there,” Cap Sopheak said.

“While living and working [in China], the owner of the karaoke club forced them to work hard to get paid. The owner of the club forced them to have sex with guests,” he added.

Cap Sopheak noted that in April, the victims could no longer stand their condition and fled the karaoke club, travelling in a taxi to the Cambodian embassy in China for intervention. They were repatriated home in June this year.

He added that their families were alerted upon their arrival in Kratie province. The victims and their families later filed a complaint against the accused to the provincial Anti-human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department, which led to the arrest of the accused on Thursday.

https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50625965/woman-charged-with-trafficking-three-underaged-girls/

Human trafficking suspect arrested in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of a major human trafficking suspect Tuesday, while asking for victims to come forward.

Deputies arrested Steven Tylor Cook, 29, at a gas station on Busch Boulevard but said he had been on their radar for months.

"We believe this individual is part of a larger criminal ring responsible for trafficking even more women," said Sheriff Chad Chronister.

The investigation into Cook began in May, when detectives began conducting undercover operations at several motels. That was when Cook was arrested for several crimes, including prostitution, when he dropped off two suspected prostitutes at a motel.

Investigators, however, didn't have enough evidence at the time to charge him with human trafficking. Chronister said detectives recently got the break in the case they needed.

"We were able to convince one of the individuals that were being trafficked to not live in fear, trust us, come forward and build a case around her," he said. "With an individual like this, who's so engaged in criminal behavior, deplorable behavior like human trafficking, today his arrest was not just a win for us as a sheriff's office, but us as a community."

The arrest is timely, with more than 60 sheriffs in Tampa for the Florida Sheriffs Association conference. One of the main topics discussed was human trafficking.

"You talk about human trafficking," said Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, "those are things that we're starting to see more and more in communities and I think we're seeing more of it because our citizens are being educated on it. They're starting to learn about human trafficking. And because they're educated on it, they're able to identify it and report it to law enforcement."

Chronister is urging other victims in the Cook case to come forward by contacting the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/human-trafficking-suspect-arrested-in-tampa

DULUTH — Two Duluth men were sentenced Monday, July 29, for the trafficking of a 15-year-old girl who was physically beaten, shocked with a Taser and forced to perform sexual acts over a period of nearly three weeks.

Andre Mathis Jr., 33, held the girl inside his apartment for 20 days after she ran away from a residential treatment program in Duluth, according to court documents. After repeatedly assaulting the girl and selling her for sex, authorities said he sought to extort money from her family in exchange for her safe return.

Mathis, who pleaded guilty early this year to sex trafficking of a minor in U.S. District Court and first-degree criminal sexual conduct in state district court, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank to more than 20 years in federal prison.

Amos Kiprop Koech, 44, was convicted by a federal jury in January on charges of sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy to commit the same crime. He was sentenced to nearly 11 years in federal prison, with state charges still pending.

According to court documents, the victim's mother notified police in July 2017 that she had been receiving disturbing emails from her daughter indicating she had left the treatment program and was with a man who would not let her go. He was demanding that she or her parents wire money in order to secure her release.

The next day, police were aiding probation officers in a routine stop at Mathis' residence at the Glen Place Apartments, 1115 W. Michigan St., when they found him hiding in a closet with the victim. An officer recognized the girl as the one reported missing.

The victim told police that she had not been allowed to leave the apartment without Mathis and that he also restricted her communications. She said if she refused Mathis' orders, she would be physically assaulted.

The victim told police Mathis sexually assaulted her multiple times each day over the course of her captivity and that she was unable to resist due to her fear of him. She said Mathis told her he was "training" or "teaching" her how to perform the sexual acts.

On as many as four occasions, the victim reported, she was brought to Koech's residence, where she was forced to have sexual intercourse in exchange for money, which Mathis kept. Investigators also seized nude photographs of the victim taken by Koech.

The victim reported that Mathis would regularly beat her. On one occasion he burned her hand with a cigarette. Eventually, he obtained a Taser, which he would use on her for his own amusement. Additionally, she said Mathis made her dye her hair in an attempt to look older and forced her to ingest narcotics in order to keep her calmer for commercial sex acts.

The cases were jointly investigated by the FBI and Duluth Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Provinzino and Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Jon Holets.

Mathis was sentenced Monday to 292 months in federal court and 360 months in state court, with the terms to be served concurrently in federal prison.

Mathis, who contemplated seeking to withdraw his pleas, denied the allegations of violence, but admitted to the remaining details. He attorney, Paul Engh, urged him to move forward with the agreement, noting that Mathis would face, in essence, a life sentence if ordered to serve consecutive prison terms.

Provinzino said a significant prison term was warranted for Mathis, noting that he not only sexually assaulted the victim and advertised her for commercial sex, but also sought to recover a ransom from her own family.

Mathis will need to serve slightly more than 20 years in custody, after which he will be subject to another 20 years of supervised release.

Koech, who was convicted at trial, also admitted to having sexual contact with the girl but claimed Monday that he believed she was 18 and that Mathis had forced the situation upon him. He went on to compare himself to the victims of the 1920 Duluth lynchings — comments Provinzino called "patently offensive and self-serving."

Koech arranged a $60 payment to Mathis in exchange for the sexual acts with the victim. Koech also photographed the victim and made comments that she was "too beautiful to be 18," the prosecutor said.

Frank sentenced Koech to 130 months in federal prison. He also faces two pending sexual assault charges in state court — one related to a federal case and the other pertaining to an unrelated incident. Koech, a native of Kenya who has lived in the Upper Midwest since coming to the U.S. in 1997, may also be subject to future deportation.

The day concluded in state court, with 6th Judicial District Judge David Johnson imposing Mathis' second sentence.

"This is one of the most heinous cases I've ever had in front of me," he told the victim and her family.

https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/crime-and-courts/4044465-Duluth-men-sentenced-for-sex-trafficking-of-15-year-old-girl