If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment. is beginning a series about human trafficking. Updated Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Michel J. Driscoll of the FBIs Philadelphia Field Division made the announcement. The church has a ministry that addresses trafficking in the Philadelphia area. An official website of the United States government. 215-861-8300. Main Office: For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. If you, a family member or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking (sex or labor), or you suspect that human trafficking is taking place, resources are available: National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Delaware County District Attorneys Office, the Bensalem Police Department, the Media Borough Police Department, the Tinicum Township Police Department and the Philadelphia Police Department. Phone: 215-387-9500. WebHuman Trafficking | Philadelphia | Battle4Children Charities You're not a victim for sharing your story. Official websites use .gov 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250 Allegedly, this defendant forced four young people, one a minor child, to sell their bodies for his financial gain. We will continue to work collectively with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these destructive crimes against vulnerable children.. 215-861-8300. Eastern District of Pennsylvania Thats why there has to be an entire paradigm shift.The average girls who enters this is about 13.. WebYoung women and girls are the most at-risk of trafficking, although boys are also trafficked and are less likely to ask for help. We get calls from as far away as Pittsburgh where girls have been taken. Now that there is more transparency, we have to be more honest, Walls said. Justice At Work Working alongside the international community, we have seen significant increases in trafficking prosecution and conviction, and we have made great strides in supporting victims.. Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 45 Years for Sex Trafficking Children in Northeast Philadelphia. Trained Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates and supervisory staff provide assistance to victims in crisis through safety planning, emotional support and/or immediate connections to emergency services through our network of trained service provider and law enforcement partners. Every action we take at home, form the clothing we wear to the food we eat, is connected to what happens around the world, Obama said. Readers will enter into an uncomfortable world that will challenge their sensibilities, sense of safety, and stereotypical notions about the topic. 33 missing children found in anti-human trafficking operation in Southern California. Our hope is for a better future for the 16 children we recovered, said Eric Gartner, the US marshal for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Media Contact Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Eastern District of Pennsylvania In 2017, Horne was convicted of similar offenses in Bucks County, PA. Horne committed these heinous acts while on parole for doing the exact same thing, said U.S. Attorney McSwain. Furthermore, travelers who frequent turnpike rest stops, ride public transportation or stay in hotels can quickly recognize when a human trafficking victim may be approaching them for assistance. The Indictment alleges that for about seven days at the end of September 2019, Smith knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, maintained a minor for the purposes of forcing that minor to engage in commercial sex acts in Philadelphia. The actual statistics for human trafficking victims from neighborhoods like North, West or South Philadelphia or Northwest Philadelphia neighborhoods like Germantown and Mount Airy is difficult to track. PCA also conducts comprehensive assessments for children who are at risk or prevent red flags of being commercially sexually exploited. After the workshop he, like the other men present, needed to change how they looked at girls and women as sex objects first and as their spiritual sister secondarily. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 31, 2013. New Day is a multi-faceted program designed to serve survivors of commercial sexual exploitation as well as sex and labor trafficking. WebThey will be trafficking women and young girls on major highways and airports, arranging for sexual rendezvous in Center City hotel rooms or unmarked vans on a tree-lined residential Smith faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 30 years imprisonment on Count One, a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment on Count Two, a $500,000 fine, a lifetime period of supervised release and a $200 special assessment. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of lifetime imprisonment. Main Office: Eight Croatian nationals charged with attempting to traffic children, outside the magistrates court in Ndola, Zambia, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Fax: 215-733-0876. Lock WebSixteen children considered critically missing were rescued during a four-week operation that concluded this week, according to the US Marshals Service office in Philadelphia. WebPhiladelphia Men Charged with Child Sex Trafficking. Because this is the start of the prime season for human trafficking. We, as a society, have to begin facing up to it. Its even more difficult to ascertain who are being forced or coerced into the trade. WebThe children were cleaning blood and animal parts off the floor of meatpacking plants by night and going to school by day, the Labor Department investigators said. The Salvation Armys New Day to Stop Trafficking Program A lock ( A locked padlock The indictment alleges that Felts ran a prostitution ring that recruited and enticed young females, including minors, to engage in commercial sex acts; harbored the victims at various residences for that purpose; transported and provided the victims to males who purchased the commercial sex acts; and collected a portion of the proceeds. The fraud is they are selling love, said Hugh Organ, associate director of the Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition. Address: 300 E. Hunting Park Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19124 The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David Metcalf and Brittany Jones. Three Philadelphia men were charged, by a federal grand jury, in an indictment unsealed today in the Eastern District of In a separate Indictment, Ossai is charged with the sex trafficking of a minor in late January 2020. Kelly Sagastume, Program Manager, Project PROTECT, ksagastume@sccalaw.org, Dana Bernhaut, Child Policy Associate, dbernhaut@sccalaw.org. Its a hard statistic, but 1 in 6 children reported missing in the U.S. are likely victims of child sex trafficking, one of Lock A lock ( WebAddress: 300 E. Hunting Park Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19124 Phone: 215-387-9500 Legal and Immigration Services, Trainings and Advocacy Justice At Work Justice At Work He also kept the victims in apartments throughout Philadelphia, known as trap houses, where they were made to engage in commercial sex for the benefit of the defendant. A lock ( President Obama said there is a need to do more to fight against the exploitation of human beings for profit. WebHuman Trafficking Task Forces are a coalition of victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, community members, courts and other parties working to combat human You are a survivor setting the world on fire with your truth and you never know Yet without those who purchase the services of modern day slaves, like any market, it would dry up. During the week-long trial, the government proved that the defendant organized, operated and led a sex trafficking venture based in and around Northeast Philadelphia between 2013 and 2015, and in 2018. 2023 Cable News Network. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Smith lived with several of the females who were working for him. During this time, Kendall also allegedly used his cell phone to record one of the minors performing oral sex on him and then sent the video to the minor victim. These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Tinicum Township Police Department and the Philadelphia Police Department, and are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erica Kivitz. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. As part of the scheme, the defendant recruited, enticed and maintained three minor children, one of whom was as young as 13 years old, to engage in commercial sexual encounters. He has no regard for the law -- or even basic human decency -- as evidenced by his willingness to sell the bodies of children for sex to benefit himself. In addition, they also have other housing programs available to youth who complete their shelter program. Covenant House is a youth shelter in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. The seal of the F.B.I. Media Contact The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. Consequently, in order to rescue human trafficking victims, one must know how to identify them, the warning signs, and how to help them. Managing Editor Teresa A. Emerson - [emailprotected] The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations. Philadelphia, PA 19106, JENNIFER CRANDALL The FBIs Philadelphia Field Division is investigating the case and received significant assistance from the Philadelphia Police Department. When DHS or police identify a child that exhibits red flags, they send that child to PCA for a full assessment. Enons A Day In The Life Conference Uses The Victims Voice To Talk About Human Trafficking, Enon Tabernacle holds human trafficking walk/run Oct. 3, Biden declares Kyiv stands in surprise visit to Ukraine, Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness, Former Philadelphia Eagle, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTE, Queen Latifah will host the 2023 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 25 in Pasadena CA. 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250 An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. The Philadelphia Sunday SUN - P.O. A locked padlock PHILADELPHIA United States Attorney William M. Call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250 Enoch Smith, 36, a/k/a Drees, a/k/a Idris, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted today of all charges including sex Sixteen children considered critically missing were rescued during a four-week operation that concluded this week, according to the US Marshals Service office in Philadelphia. Horne created Internet advertisements for each of the victims on the website Backpage.com, and he transported them across state lines to New Jersey, New York, Washington D.C., and Maryland for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts. 615 Chestnut Street, Suite 1250 Smith would photograph each female in his home with his camera and, using his laptop computer, would create an Internet advertisement for each on a website known as Backpage.com. Phone: 215-893-8400 Philadelphia, PA 19106, JENNIFER CRANDALL WebTrafficking PCA believes strongly that understanding and responding to the needs of commercially sexually exploited youth in Philadelphia is critical, and we are committed to Folks in need of WOAR services do not require insurance. Three Philadelphia men were charged, by a federal grand jury, in an indictment unsealed today in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for their roles in a sex trafficking operation that exploited numerous minors from 2016 through 2017. FOX 29 Philadelphia. WebCSEC or Child Sex Trafficking Sex trafficking affects children, too. , program Manager, Project PROTECT, ksagastume @ sccalaw.org a youth in. Enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute these destructive crimes against vulnerable children 215-861-8300! 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