Understanding Slavery
Human Trafficking News
State Suspends Licenses of 81 Massage Therapists; Officials Fear Link to Human Trafficking - September 2012
More than 80 massage therapists from around the state got their licenses suspended Wednesday in an apparent attempt to crack down on human trafficking.... / While no arrests have been made, officials fear many of the 81 therapists may be involved in human trafficking.
Source: www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_tampa/state-suspends-licenses-of-81-massage-therapists-officials-fear-link-to-human-trafficking
Sex trafficking in the USA hits close to home - September 2012
A plague more commonly associated with other countries has been taking young victims in the United States, one by one.
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/09/26/sex-trafficking-in-the-usa/1595489/
43 Arrested in Manatee County Sex Sting - September 2012
MANATEE COUNTY - Undercover detectives posing as children in online chatrooms during a weeklong sex sting arrested 43 men after the suspects went to a home in Manatee County thinking they were about to meet the child. / Instead, several deputies were waiting and arrested the suspects after they knocked or rang the doorbell, capturing the arrests on video. / "They were expecting to have sex with a child under age of 14," said Manatee Sheriff Brad Steube. "The door was opened and they were immediately arrested."
Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120917/ARTICLE/120919672
Sex traffickers force girls as young as 8 into prostitution in Central Florida - September 2012
Fifteen-year-old C.G. was hanging out with friends in Tampa's popular Ybor City when she met a man, several years her senior, who offered her a ride home. FBI agents say C.G. accepted the ride, but Weylin Rodriguez didn't take her to her house. Instead, he headed to Orlando … Authorities say that like C.G., teenage girls across the country are forced into the sex industry. Sometimes, they end up in Central Florida because of the area's conventions and special events, which make it a lucrative region.
Source: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-09-03/news/os-teenage-sex-trafficking-orlando-20120903_1_prostitution-victims-of-sexual-exploitation-fbi-agents
New laws to protect child sex trade victims in Florida
Source: http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2012/jul/29/namaino15-new-laws-to-protect-child-sex-trade-vict-ar-445232/
42,000 modern-day slaves rescued but millions in bondage, trafficking report says (PDF)
Bradenton Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking of Minors - May 2012
TAMPA—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that Neang Prom, a/k/a Pocahontas (30, Bradenton), pled guilty yesterday to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. Prom faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
Source: http://www.fbi.gov/tampa/press-releases/2012/bradenton-woman-pleads-guilty-to-conspiracy-to-engage-in-sex-trafficking-of-minors
Florida brothel owner gets life in prison - May 2012
James "Red" Mozie, 35, was sentenced to life in a federal prison Monday for running a brothel dubbed, The Boom Boom Room, out of his home in Oakland Park, Florida. The harsh sentence stems from the fact that he targeted underage girls to work for him. His charges include eight counts of child sex trafficking, one count of conspiring to commit child sex trafficking, and one count of producing child pornography in the form of cell phone photos.
Source: http://cltampa.com/dailyloaf/archives/2012/05/08/florida-brothel-owner-gets-life-in-prison
31 arrested in Suncoast online predator sting - May 2012
SARASOTA COUNTY - Thirty-one internet predators are now off the streets, thanks to Operation Intercept. The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, along with several other law enforcement agencies, held a press conference detailing the six day operation Monday.
Source: http://www.mysuncoast.com/news/local/story/31-arrested-in-Suncoast-online-predator-sting/7kDtJ2HvLEG81-sIlL11rA.cspx
Gangs in Manatee County- January 2012
... Gangs in Manatee County are involved in a wide spectrum of criminal activities, such as drive-by shootings, homicides, robberies, Home Invasion Robberies, burglary, auto theft and the sale and distribution of narcotics and firearms. … Other gangs in Manatee County are involved in extortion, money laundering, human trafficking, prostitution, chop shops, kidnapping…
Source: http://waldron4sheriff.com/2012/01/16/gangs-in-manatee-county-florida/
Bay Area Victims of Child Sex Trafficking on the Rise - June 2011
Tampa, Florida - A 20 year old woman who doesn't want to reveal her identity says she became a victim of child sex trafficking when she was just 15 years old when someone reached out to her online. She was vulnerable. Her father who she took care of was dying. She says she would learn later, "They were like twice the age they said they were."
Source: http://www.wtsp.com/rss/article/195341/8/Bay-area-victims-of-child-sex-trafficking-on-the-rise-
Florida: A Modern Slavery Hub - 2009
Florida is commonly known amongst law enforcement personnel to have one of the highest incidences of human trafficking in the country. In fact, Florida is commonly cited along with New York and California as being one of the top three destinations for trafficking victims in the United States.
Source: http://www.flnow.org/trafficking.html paragraph 7
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