A
U.S. District Court judge sentenced a San Diego
man Monday, February 11, 2013, to serve 150 months in federal prison for the
trafficking of a 14-year-old girl he prostituted over the course of several
days at various motels and hotels in Southern California.
Randy
Martell Ballard, 28, pleaded guilty in November 2012 to child sex trafficking
following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the National City
Police Department. In addition to the prison term, Ballard was ordered to pay a
$1 million fine and register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender
Registration and Notification Act. "Child
sex trafficking is an unmerciful crime," said Derek Benner, special agent
in charge for HSI San Diego. "HSI special agents are committed to fully
pursuing those who take advantage of our most valuable resource – the young and
vulnerable children who fall victim to these intolerable acts." According
to the case special agents, after Ballard recruited the victim in El Paso, Texas, he
purchased a one-way Greyhound bus ticket for the two of them to Los Angeles. He then
prostituted the girl under a false name and posted online prostitution ads for
her services. HSI
special agents arrested Ballard and rescued the victim in May 2012 during an
undercover sting at a Los Angeles-area hotel.
Michelle
Matney, 38, of Greensboro, N.C., pleaded guilty Friday, February 8, 2013,
for her role as the leader of an interstate prostitution organization and to
conspiracy to persuade others to travel to engage in prostitution. This case
was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland
Security Investigations (HSI) and Henrico County Police Division. John
P. Torres, special agent in charge for HSI Washington, D.C.; U.S. Attorney Neil
H. MacBride, Eastern District of Virginia; and Chief of Police Douglas A.
Middleton, Henrico County Police Division, made the announcement after the plea
was accepted by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Matney faces a maximum
penalty of five years of incarceration when she is sentenced on May 10, 2013. In
a statement of facts filed with her plea agreement, Matney admitted to
recruiting and supervising numerous prostitutes from 2010 through 2012. She
acknowledged that she would recruit prostitutes to work for her, encourage them
to travel to various states other than North
Carolina, where she was based, to work as
prostitutes, post prostitution advertisements online for them and set up
prostitution appointments with clients. In
exchange, Matney received a portion of the earnings that the women made from
prostitution. Matney came to the attention of law enforcement after the Henrico
County Police Department arrested several women for prostitution who stated
that they were working for Matney. Assistant
U.S. Attorneys Jamie L. Mickelson and Roderick C. Young are prosecuting the
case on behalf of the United
States.
On
Thursday, January 17, 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
announced the results of a lengthy investigation, called Operation Dark Night,
into a sex trafficking ring operating in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
The investigation, which was led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI), led to a takedown Wednesday, January 16, 2013, in which authorities made
13 criminal arrests and 44 administrative arrests tied to the investigation, as
well as the rescue of as many as 11 victims. "ICE
investigates a wide array of crimes, but the trafficking of women and girls for
prostitution is among the most sinister," said ICE Director John Morton.
"Few crimes so damage their victims and undermine basic human decency. Our
fight against this evil must be relentless, both here and abroad." U.S.
Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Edward Tarver said, "In what
essentially amounts to slavery in the year 2013, the conduct described in the
indictment against these defendants is reprehensible. This case is a prime
example of the United States Attorney's Office and HSI recognizing that human
trafficking is a cancer facing our society and taking a stand to stop the
victimization of women involved in sex trafficking." According
to the indictment, Joaquin Mendez-Hernandez, aka El Flaco, conspired with each
of the other defendants to transport people across interstate boundaries to
engage in prostitution. In addition, Mendez-Hernandez allegedly conspired with
at least three others to entice women from Mexico,
Nicaragua and elsewhere to
travel to the United States
with false promises of the American dream. Once inside the United States, these women were allegedly
threatened and forced to commit acts of prostitution at numerous locations in Savannah and throughout
the Southeast. In one such instance identified in the indictment,
Mendez-Hernandez is alleged to have told a Mexican woman that she would be sent
back to her home country unless she serviced 25 clients a day. HSI
provides relief to victims of human trafficking by allowing for their continued
presence in the United
States during criminal proceedings. Victims
may also qualify for a T visa, which is issued to victims of human trafficking
who have complied with reasonable requests for assistance in investigations and
prosecutions. Anyone who suspects instances of human trafficking is encouraged
to call the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE
(866-347-2423) or the Human Trafficking Hotline at
1-888-373-7888. Anonymous calls are welcome. Operation
Dark Night was led by HSI, with assistance from the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP);
CBP Air and Marine Operations; the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal
Investigations; the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department; the
Chatham County Sheriff's Office; the Garden City Police Department; and, the
Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tania D.
Groover and E. Greg Gilluly Jr. are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
A New York man was convicted after a jury trial before U.S. District Judge
Richard J. Arcara of sex trafficking by force, sex trafficking of a minor by
force and sex trafficking of a minor. When sentenced, he faces up to life in
prison and a $250,000 fine. The conviction is the result of an extensive
investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland
Security Investigations (HSI) and local law enforcement agencies.
Between winter 2010 and August 2012, Kenneth Graham, 25, of Amherst, N.Y.,
recruited, promoted and profited from the prostitution activities of two minor
girls knowing that the girls were under the age of 18. Graham also recruited,
promoted and profited from a third victim, a woman in her 20s.
Graham placed
advertisements on the website "backpage." One ad read,
"Amazingly Sexy Sweet Petite Companion 20 working out of the airport
area." The acts took place in various hotels in the towns of Amherst and Cheektowaga,
N.Y., and customers were charged
between $100 and $200.
According to evidence presented by the government, two of the victims were
assaulted and threatened by the defendant. One victim testified that Graham
told her "I'll kill you" and a second victim testified that Graham
brandished a weapon at her. Under cross examination, the defendant admitted to
pushing one of the victims into a wall and over a piece of furniture.
"This is the first sex trafficking conviction at trial in the Western
District of New York," said U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr., Western
District of New York. "Based on charges recently filed by our office, the
problem of human trafficking appears to be growing but so too is our ability to
investigate and prosecute these crimes. In the past year, we have filed charges
against seven defendants who are accused of victimizing a total of 12 victims.
Freedom is a basic human right and individuals should not be forced into
actions or behaviors that are both illegal and can cause long term physical,
psychological and emotional damage."
"Today's guilty verdict is the result of the great partnership HSI has
with law enforcement in Western New York in
our unyielding resolve to bring human traffickers to justice," said James
C. Spero, special agent in charge of HSI Buffalo. "Trafficking children
for sex is one the most deplorable crimes our HSI special agents investigate.
My agency is committed to protecting those who cannot protect themselves. These
cases are extremely difficult to investigate - and prosecute - and would not be
possible without the hard work and dedication of our special agents and
attorneys."
The conviction is the result of an investigation on the part of HSI, Amherst
Police Department, Cheektowaga Police Department. and Buffalo Police Department.
Additional support was provided by the Western District of New York Human
Trafficking Task Force and Alliance.
Anyone who has knowledge of any form of trafficking is encouraged to contact
the task force or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at
888-373-7888.
Sentencing has been scheduled for May 8, 2013, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge
Arcara.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert C. Moscati and Kathleen A. Lynch, Western
District of New York, are prosecuting this case on behalf of the U.S. government.
Yimmy Pineda-Penado, aka Critico, 22, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced by United States District Judge Anthony J. Trenga Friday, December 14, 2012, to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in a gang-run juvenile prostitution ring.
The sentencing follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C., and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Washington Field Office with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department and the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force.
"Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate gang members and associates involved in sex trafficking, especially those instances involving juveniles forced into prostitution," said HSI Washington, D.C., Special Agent in Charge John P. Torres. "HSI will continue to aggressively investigate transnational gang members, like Yimmy Pineda-Penado, who engage in sex trafficking and other violent crimes."
According to court documents and testimony, Pineda-Penado, originally from El Salvador, became involved in juvenile sex trafficking through his membership in MS-13. He was personally responsible for prostituting at least one juvenile female. His involvement in MS-13's juvenile sex trafficking scheme lasted from the fall 2009 until the spring 2010.
MS-13 members prostituted the victim at various motels and apartments in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, and Falls Church, Va., as well as in Maryland. The victim was not permitted to leave the prostitution scheme and MS-13 members plied her with drugs and alcohol to make her more compliant while her body was being exploited for profit.
Founded in 2004, the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies – along with nongovernmental organizations – dedicated to combating human trafficking and related crimes. From FY 2011 to the present, 44 defendants have been prosecuted in 25 cases in the Eastern District of Virginia for human trafficking and trafficking-related conduct involving at least 32 victims.
Anyone who suspects instances of human trafficking is encouraged to call the HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or to complete its online tip form:
http://www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp.
Anonymous calls are welcome.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Terwilliger and Patricia Giles.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- M.C. Law Group Attorney Alex Meyerovich recently appeared on the Connecticut News12 program "Our Lives" to speak out against human trafficking.
Also known as "modern day slavery," reported cases of human trafficking have risen 60% in 2011 compared to 2010, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (HTRS). Reported cases of human trafficking have been steadily increasing for the last five years.
Attorney Meyerovich discussed human trafficking with "Our Lives" host Gwen Edwards, and explained that human trafficking is on the rise because the financial gain of exploiting human life is simply too great.
"It's widespread because it's cheap labor, and billions of dollars are involved -- it's supply and demand," Meyerovich said.
Human trafficking occurs when a victim is held hostage and forced to work against their will, commonly as commercial sex workers, drug traffickers, or laborers in unregulated industries. Victims are often held in deplorable conditions and suffer physical and sexual abuse.
Attorney Meyerovich, whose firm specializes in immigration law, knows how susceptible illegal immigrants are in particular to human traffickers. Immigrants pay smugglers to be brought into the U.S. illegally, and on arrival smugglers demand more money from their captives. Immigrants then must work to repay their "debts," and are held hostage with threats of violence or deportation.
"I've dealt with victims running away from drug cartels and sexual exploitation," said Meyerovich of past clients affected by human trafficking. "They're traumatized and afraid to talk."
Human trafficking victims are not likely to seek help for fear of retribution. The problem goes unnoticed by most Americans because victims remain silent and are often hidden in plain sight.
Meyerovich also urged parents to be aware of how vulnerable children are to human traffickers and sexual exploitation, especially in an age of exposure through social media.
"People need to know that it happens, and that it is very easy to manipulate kids' minds," Meyerovich said. "Children are extorted and threatened to be exposed on Facebook, or to their parents and teachers…and they become victims of sexual exploitation."
In fact, sex trafficking preys on Americans at a shocking rate, with HTRS reporting that 80% of sex trafficking victims are U.S. citizens. "Our Lives" host Ms. Edwards and Meyerovich urged viewers -- and especially parents -- to be aware that human trafficking and sexual exploitation exists in communities throughout the U.S.
"Parents need to be educated that their kid's classmate could be a victim of human trafficking," Meyerovich added, explaining that young victims may still attend school, but may act shy and fearful of their peers and teachers.
Ultimately, Meyerovich offered a dual solution to combat human trafficking: increased awareness and immigration reform. Only with both, Meyerovich explained, will "modern day slavery" become a thing of the past.
Watch the full "Our Lives" segment featuring Attorney Meyerovich below:
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- M.C. Law Group Attorney Alex Meyerovich spoke out recently against the rise of human trafficking, also known as "modern day slavery," in the United States.
Reported cases of human trafficking have risen 60% in 2011 compared to 2010, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (HTRS). In fact, reported cases of human trafficking have been steadily increasing for the last five years. Attorney Meyerovich offered a simple explanation for this increase in human trafficking during a recent interview with Connecticut News12.
"Human trafficking is a lucrative business. It generates billions," said Attorney Meyerovich of the industry.
Human trafficking occurs when a victim is held hostage and forced to work against their will. Victims are commonly coerced into becoming commercial sex workers, drug traffickers, or laborers in unregulated industries. Additionally, these victims are often held in deplorable conditions, and suffer physical and sexual abuse.
Local attorneys like Meyerovich are speaking out alongside lawmakers to raise awareness about this prolific, but often unnoticed, human rights issue. In fact, Senator Richard Blumenthal recently joined with Senator Robert Portman of Ohio to co-chair the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking. The caucus will provide a platform for its thirteen members to combat human trafficking and promote increased awareness about this serious issue.
"This kind of modern day slavery is intolerable," Senator Blumenthal told Connecticut News 12. "These people are treated as inhuman."
Human trafficking goes unnoticed by most citizens because victims are often hidden in plain sight. Traffickers prey on society's most vulnerable, targeting children and young girls, disabled individuals, and illegal immigrants. These vulnerable victims are not likely to seek help for fear of retribution: if they attempt to escape or alert authorities, they suffer horrific abuse and threats of violence -- or worse.
"If they don't obey, they're likely to be killed," Meyerovich said of the impossible situation these victims are placed in.
Attorney Meyerovich, whose firm specializes in immigration law, knows how particularly susceptible illegal immigrants are to human traffickers. Meyerovich explained that immigrants pay alien smugglers exorbitant fees to be brought into the U.S. illegally. Once they arrive, the smugglers demand additional payment for their services, which immigrants cannot afford. They are then coerced into forced labor to repay their "debts," and are held hostage indefinitely. Victims are constantly intimidated with threats of being reported to immigration enforcement, and even the murder of themselves and their loved ones.
"These immigrants risk everything for a better life in the U.S., and instead are forced to endure a nightmare of unimaginable abuse when they arrive," said Attorney Meyerovich. "They are scared, often don't speak English, and have no knowledge that U.S. immigration laws protect victims of human trafficking, regardless of their legal status."
However, U.S. citizens are just as vulnerable to being forced into labor in their own country. While HTRS reports 70% of labor trafficking victims are undocumented immigrants, 80% of sex trafficking victims are U.S. citizens.
"Most American citizens would react with fury and outrage if they knew about it," Senator Blumenthal commented.
Local attorneys like Meyerovich and prominent lawmakers like Senator Blumenthal hope that increased awareness about human trafficking will help turn the tide against modern day slavery. To learn more about human trafficking, including how to recognize victims and report suspected cases, visit the NationalHumanTraffickingResourceCenter. To learn more about Senator Blumenthal's involvement in the Senate Caucus to End Human Trafficking, visit his official website.
To watch the full interview featuring Attorney Meyerovich and Senator Blumenthal, watch the video below.
A former northwest suburban massage parlor owner was sentenced Monday, November 26, 2012, to life in federal prison for crimes including sex trafficking, forced labor, harboring illegal aliens, confiscating passports to further forced labor, and extortion. These crimes were committed against four foreign women whom he mentally and physically abused while forcing them to work for him.
The life sentence resulted from a joint investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Cook County Sheriff's Office. The CookCountyState's Attorney's Office assisted in the investigation, which was coordinated by the Cook County Human Trafficking Task Force.
Alex Campbell, 47, formerly of Glenview, Ill., operated the Day and Night Spa on Northwest Highway in Mt. Prospect, Ill. He used violence and threats of violence to force three women from Ukraine and one from Belarus to work for him without pay and, at times, little to no subsistence between July 2008 and January 2010.
Campbell, aka "Dave" and "Daddy," called himself "Cowboy." He was sentenced to life in prison Nov. 26 by U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, Northern District of Illinois, and ordered to pay about $124,000 restitution. There is no parole in the federal prison system. "They (the victims) have a life sentence – all of them...and their life sentence at your hands compels a life sentence for you," Judge Gettleman said in imposing sentence.
Campbell was convicted at trial in January of three counts each of forced labor, harboring illegal aliens for financial gain, and confiscating passports and other immigration documents to force the victims to work, and one count each of sex trafficking by force, and extortion. He faced a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life on the sex-trafficking count alone, and the judge also imposed maximum prison terms ranging from five to 20 years on each of the remaining counts, to run concurrent with the life sentence.
"The seriousness of Campbell's crimes cannot be overstated, nor could the government put into words the magnitude of harm or the life-altering consequences of Campbell's actions...An evaluation of the seriousness of what Campbell has done must necessarily begin by looking at his victims, whose lives he upended, dreams he shattered, ideals he undermined, and whose faith in humanity he so cruelly crushed," the government argued in urging a life sentence.
"If you treat human beings as property, to be branded, beaten, raped and sold, the law will punish you to the greatest extent possible," said Gary S. Shapiro, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. "This sentence ensures Alex Campbell's incapacitation, which will prevent him from victimizing other women."
"Alex Campbell abused women by violently coercing them into labor and commercial sex. By working together with law enforcement and community groups, those women were able to testify about that abuse," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "Today's sentence is a victory not only for the department and the Human Trafficking Task Force, but also for those women who so bravely came forward and told the truth about their exploitation."
"This life sentence sends a clear message to those who think they can callously prey upon vulnerable women to turn a profit," said Gary J. Hartwig, special agent-in-charge of HSI Chicago. "The servitude, abuse and torture of other human beings will not be tolerated. HSI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who engage in human trafficking are held accountable for their actions."
Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart, whose sheriff's police initiated the investigation, said, "I am extremely proud of the effort and resolution of all the agencies involved with the successful investigation, conviction and now sentencing of such a violent individual."
All four victims testified as government witnesses at trial, as well as co-defendant Danielle John, 25, who pleaded guilty before trial to two counts of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain. She was sentenced previously to three years' probation. In addition to the trial victims, the government presented evidence of about 20 women victimized by Campbell.
The trial showed that Campbell recruited and groomed foreign women without legal status in the United States to become part of his "family," which he claimed was an international organization that would provide them with support. He offered them jobs in his massage parlor, a place to live, assistance with immigration, and lured each of them to enter into a romantic relationship with him. After gaining their trust, he forced the victims to get tattooed with his moniker, which he said made them his property and allowed him to stop paying them. At the same time, he acquired the women's passports and visas. The women were forced to work long hours every day and do as Campbell instructed them, and they were beaten and punished if they disobeyed him.
Trial testimony established that Campbell confiscated passports and identity documents from three of the victims, as well as harbored and transported them to ensure their continued labor.
Campbell forced one victim to engage in commercial sex acts with customers at other massage parlors, but not at the Day and Night Spa, which testimony showed he operated "cleanly" to avoid problems with law enforcement. He extorted another victim to pay him more than $25,000 to leave the "family" by threatening to send a sexually explicit video recording to her parents in Belarus.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane MacArthur and Steven Grimes, Northern District of Illinois, and John Richmond, Special Litigation Counsel with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, successfully prosecuted the case.
Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes that HSI investigates. In its worst manifestation, human trafficking is akin to modern-day slavery. HSI relies on tips from the public to dismantle these organizations. Trafficking victims are often hidden in plain sight, voiceless and scared. HSI encourages the public to report suspicious activity by calling HSI's Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or report tips online.
"America's Most Wanted," the television show famously known for helping law enforcement catch some of the country's most hardened criminals, featured Eric Bell on its June 11, 2011 edition.
It is a mother's worst nightmare. Her child ends up in the hands of a monster – sold for sex and treated like a commodity. That's what happened to four young girls, all between 15 and 17 years old, when they met Eric Bell in 2009 and 2010.
That nightmare came to an end Tuesday, September 18, 2012, when Bell and his co-conspirator, Neang Prom, were sentenced to 30 years and three years in federal prison, respectively, on sex trafficking charges. The sentencing resulted from a nearly two-year investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI and the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force.
The girls who worked for them knew them as Santana (Bell) and Pocahontas (Prom). The pair preyed on the young and the weak, targeting runaways who had nowhere else to turn. Their victims trusted them, but that trust soon turned to fear. Bell raped and snapped digital images of his victims. He and Prom also marketed the young girls as 18-year-old escorts on websites. The victims were forced to perform sexual acts for fees, never receiving any of the proceeds from prostitution.
"I trusted them with my life, and they took it for granted," said one of the victims in court Monday. "Being forced into prostitution hurt me. I try to forget about it, but I can't. Even now, I think it is okay to sell my body. And it hurts every time I do it. It feels like I am selling my soul to the devil."
The case began after a victim shared statements with a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office detective that indicated she was a victim of sex trafficking. After interviewing her, a detective from the sheriff's office began an Internet search to see if he could track down Pocahontas, who was associated with several Craigslist advertisements and a MySpace account. Investigators linked the ads featuring Pocahontas to an Internet Protocol address used by Prom.
After that, special agents from HSI, the FBI and the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force conducted surveillance at Bell and Prom's residence. In July 2010, they executed a federal search warrant at the residence and seized numerous items including firearms, ammunition, body armor, digital cameras, cell phones, computers and more. Searches of the cameras and computers revealed numerous pornographic/sexually explicit photos of the minor victims.
"Bell tried to barricade himself in the attic of his residence to avoid being arrested when we executed the search warrant," said Sue McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "Our law enforcement partners had to resort to using tear gas so we could arrest him."
Bell, upon his arrest, was interviewed by an HSI and FBI special agent, but subsequently skipped town after making bail.
In January 2011, a criminal complaint was filed in federal court against Bell and Prom for a variety of charges, ranging from production of child pornography to aiding and abetting the sex trafficking of a minor.
HSI and FBI special agents arrested Bell Aug. 31, 2011, in Parsippany, N.J. In February, he pleaded guilty to sex trafficking minors, and in May, Prom pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in the sex trafficking of minors.
"Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes our special agents investigate. This case was particularly unnerving because it involved the sex trafficking of minors," said McCormick. "Thanks to the efforts of HSI, the Clearwater Human Trafficking Task Force and the FBI, Eric Bell can no longer exploit young girls for his own gain."
