Human Trafficking Archives – GV Wire

Abduction Survivor Elizabeth Smart Featured at Breaking the Chains Luncheon

Anya Ellis — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:00:32 +0000

New York Times bestselling author and abduction survivor Elizabeth Smart will share her harrowing experience of abuse and the story of her recovery at Breaking the Chains’ annual Promise Luncheon.

The ant-human trafficking nonprofit’s event is Friday, May 9, from 11 p.m. to 1 p.m. at Fresno Golden Palace, 2625 W. Vassar Ave.

Attendees will hear from Smart and presenting partners Donaghy Sales and CalViva. Breaking the Chains will outline their efforts and plans for 2025 and 2026.

“It is events like these that help bring human trafficking to light. So many people think that this won’t happen to them or someone they know, but the grim truth is that human trafficking is on the rise, not only on a national level, but here in our community as well,” said a Breaking the Chains representative.

Additionally, the lunch will include the presentation of Breaking the Chains’ annual freedom fighter award and a private book signing for Smart’s autobiography, “My Story.”

There are six packages offering varying perks that include entry to the event. The packages are $150 to $15,000 and can be purchased here: 2025 Promise Luncheon – Breaking The Chains.

All money raised will directly aid the organization in its fight against human trafficking.

About Elizabeth Smart

In June 2002, the then-14-year-old Smart was abducted from her home in Utah. She endured nine months of captivity before the apprehension of her captors, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee.

Smart was able to convince the husband-wife duo to return to the state, where they were recognized. Authorities detained the pair in March, and Smart was able to finally reunite with her family.

Now, Smart travels the country to share her story.

She became an advocate for survivors of abduction and human trafficking, working to educate, inspire, and foster change. Her work and strength have inspired thousands to find their own voice and begin healing.

In 2011, she founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, an organization designed to empower survivors and fight against sexual assault.

“Elizabeth Smart has really been a beacon of light in the antihuman trafficking field,” said Debra Rush, co-founder and CEO of Breaking the Chains.

Breaking the Chains’ Work

Breaking the Chains works with local, state, and federal law enforcement to fight human trafficking while providing care for victims.

They provide rehabilitation to those affected by exploitation and wraparound care to individuals exiting human trafficking.

The organization is primarily funded through donations from the community explained Rush.

“This money actually goes to help our most critical population, those who are immediately exiting human trafficking. And that can be a very difficult process. … It’s really important that they have the emergency services that are safe, confidential, and able to provide them with not only housing but trauma support.”

Human trafficking’s negative impact expands beyond individuals directly affected Rush told GV Wire.

Human trafficking funds illicit criminal operations and gang activity throughout the city. Combating human trafficking supports the entire community through reducing overall crime Rush said.

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Northern California Gets Record Rain and Heavy Snow. Many Have Been in the Dark for Days in Seattle

Associated Press — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 16:22:29 +0000

FORESTVILLE, Calif. — A major storm continued to drop heavy snow and record rain Friday as it moved through Northern California, closing roads and prompting evacuations in some areas, after killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands in the Pacific Northwest.

Forecasters warned the risk of flash flooding and rockslides would continue, and scores of flights were canceled at San Francisco’s airport.

In Washington state, more than 185,000 people — mostly in the Seattle area — remained without power as crews worked to clear streets of electrical lines, fallen branches and debris. Utility officials said the outages, which began Tuesday, could last into Saturday. The National Weather Service warned that in addition to gusty winds, a high surf advisory was in effect Friday for large ocean waves of 20 to 24 feet (six to 7.3 meters) that may cause significant beach erosion.

Meanwhile on the East Coast, where rare wildfires have raged, New York and New Jersey welcomed much-needed rain that could ease the fire danger for the rest of the year.

Flood Watch Extended in Northern California

The National Weather Service extended a flood watch into Saturday for areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by this season’s strongest atmospheric river — a long plume of moisture that forms over an ocean and flows through the sky over land.

Flooding and road closures were reported in the North Bay, and the weather service warned area residents throughout the area to expect disruptions during the morning and afternoon commutes on Friday. Rain rates have increased and shifted southward along the San Francisco Peninsula to the Santa Cruz Mountains with rain gauges reporting a few tenths to 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) so far, the weather service said early Friday.

In Humboldt County, the sheriff’s office issued evacuation orders and warnings and urged residents to prepare for storm impacts throughout the week. Flooding closed Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in Mendocino County north of Point Arena near the Garcia River and there was no estimate for when it would reopen, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Bomb Cyclone Causes Widespread Damage

The system roared ashore Tuesday as a “bomb cyclone,” which occurs when a cyclone intensifies rapidly. It unleashed fierce winds that toppled trees onto roads, vehicles and homes, killing at least two people in Washington.

Communities in Washington opened warming centers offering free internet and device charging. Some medical clinics closed because of power outages.

“I’ve been here since the mid-’80s. I haven’t seen anything like this,” Trish Bloor, a city of Issaquah official, said while surveying damaged homes.

Up to 16 inches (about 41 centimeters) of rain was forecast in southwestern Oregon and California’s northern counties through Friday.

Santa Rosa saw 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) of rain in the last 24 hours, marking the wettest day on record since 1998.

The Sonoma County Airport, in the wine country north of San Francisco, got more than 11 inches (28 centimeters) within the last 48 hours and the unincorporated town of Venado had about 12.7 inches (32.3 centimeters) in the same period.

Flash flooding, rockslides and debris flows were possible, especially where hillsides were loosened by recent wildfires, officials warned. Scott Rowe, a hydrologist with the weather service in Sacramento, said so far the ground has been able to absorb the rain in areas where the Park Fire burned this summer.

“It’s not necessarily how much rain falls; it’s how fast the rain falls,” Rowe said.

A winter storm watch was in place for the northern Sierra Nevada above 3,500 feet (1,070 meters), with 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow possible over two days. Wind gusts could top 75 mph (121 kph) in mountain areas, forecasters said.

In California, there were reports of more than 12,000 power outages.

Authorities limited vehicle traffic on part of northbound Interstate 5 between Redding and Yreka due to snow, according to California’s Department of Transportation. Officials also shut down a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of the scenic Avenue of the Giants, named for its towering coast redwoods, due to flooding.

More than 40 flights were delayed and about 12 were canceled early Friday at San Francisco International Airport, according to tracking service FlightAware.

East Coast Receives Much-Needed Rain

The Northeast, meanwhile, got a much-needed shot of precipitation, providing a bit of respite in a region plagued by wildfires and dwindling water supplies. More than 2 inches (5 centimeters) was expected by Saturday morning north of New York City, with snow mixed in at higher elevations.

Weather service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki in New York City, which this week saw its first drought warning in 22 years, said “any rainfall is going to be significant” but the storm won’t be enough to end the drought.

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Gov. Newsom Signs Sen. Grove’s Bill Making Penalty for Soliciting Minors a Felony

Associated Press — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 22:39:35 +0000

SACRAMENTO — The penalty for soliciting and buying sex from minors under 16 will be raised to a felony under a new California law signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday.

Current state laws limit the penalties for soliciting a minor to a misdemeanor charge. In addition to making it a felony if the victims were under 16, the new law would also allow prosecutors to charge repeat offenders with a felony if the victims were at least 16 years old.

“Today marks an incredible victory for California children,” said Republican Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, who authored the measure. “With the signing of my bill, SB 1414, we are reaffirming our commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable among us — our children.”

Today marks an incredible victory for California children. With the signing of my bill, SB 1414, we are reaffirming our commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable among us—our children. SB 1414 (Grove) increases the penalty for soliciting or purchasing a child for sex from a… pic.twitter.com/svI97CLrsV

— Senator Shannon Grove (@ShannonGroveCA) September 26, 2024

Bipartisan Support and Input From Survivors

The bipartisan measure was drafted with input from survivors, the author said. It received overwhelming support from the Legislature and the first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Supporters said the new law will help California correct its outdated provisions. The measure is a crucial step to protect more children and help law enforcement go after criminals who solicit minors for sex, they say.

The California legislation doesn’t go as far as laws in other states. In Texas, for example, an adult would be charged with a felony for soliciting a minor under 17 and could face harsher penalties if the victim was under 14.

Gavin Newsom on Thursday also signed three other measures to boost protections for human trafficking and domestic violence victims, including one requiring emergency rooms to implement protocols to allow patients who are potentially victims to discreetly notify health care workers of their abuse.

“Human trafficking is a disgusting and reprehensible crime that leaves lasting pain on victims and survivors,” the governor said in a statement. “These new laws will help us further hold predators accountable and provide victims with the support and care they need.”

Governor’s Commitment to Combating Child Trafficking

The Democratic governor, who has said he “cares deeply” about the issue, last year signed another bill authored by Grove to make child trafficking a serious crime. Anyone convicted of at least three serious felonies in California is punished by a sentence of between 25 years and life in prison, known as the “three strikes law.”

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Makes Fresh Bid for Bail in Sex Trafficking and Conspiracy Case

Associated Press — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 15:38:30 +0000

NEW YORK — Lawyers for Sean “Diddy Combs asked a judge Wednesday to let him await his sex trafficking trial at his luxury home on an island near Miami Beach, rather than a grim federal jail in Brooklyn.

Combs’ lawyer planned to argue before the Manhattan judge that would preside over Combs’ trial why the heftier bail should earn him release from detention. On Tuesday, a Manhattan magistrate judge had ordered Combs held without bail.

Indictment Alleges Elaborate Sexual Performances

The hip-hop mogul whose career blossomed in the 1990s was arrested on Monday on charges contained in an indictment that accuses Combs of using his “power and prestige” for “sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution, drug offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice.”

It describes the inducement of female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during and often recorded. The events would sometimes last days and require IVs to recover from, the indictment said.

It alleges he coerced and abused women for years while using blackmail, including the videos he shot, and shocking acts of violence to keep his victims in line, coordinated and facilitated from the top down by a network of associates and employees.

Defense Seeks Home Detention with GPS Monitoring

Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo submitted a letter to Judge Andrew L. Carter on Wednesday seeking the release of Combs, 54, on conditions including home detention with GPS monitoring, along with a restriction on all visitors to his residences except for family, property caretakers and friends who are not considered co-conspirators.

Combs’ house is on Star Island, a man-made dollop of land in Biscayne Bay, reachable only by a causeway or boat. It is among the most expensive places to live in the United States.

“Sean Combs has never evaded, avoided, eluded or run from a challenge in his life,” the defense said in a court filing. “He will not start now.”

Combs was expected to reenter his not guilty plea in his initial appearance before Carter.

So far, prosecutors have successfully argued that he is a danger to the community and a flight risk and should remain incarcerated until trial.

Echoes of Previous Lawsuit in Criminal Charges

For all the revelations that came with the unsealing of the indictment Tuesday, most of what it outlines had been described in a November lawsuit filed by his former longtime girlfriend and protege, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura. The suit was settled the following day, but its allegations have followed Combs since.

Its descriptions of beatings, sexual assaults, silencing tactics and “Freak Offs” were echoed throughout the criminal indictment, though it did not use her name or the names of any other women.

Agnifilo, also without naming Ventura but clearly referring to her, argued at Tuesday’s arraignment that the entire criminal case is an outgrowth of one long-term, troubled-but-consensual relationship that faltered amid infidelity.

The “Freak Offs,” Agnifilo contended, were an expansion of that relationship, and not coercive.

“Is it sex trafficking?” Agnifilo asked. “Not if everybody wants to be there.”

Prosecutors, however, portrayed the scope as far larger. They said in court papers that they had interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses and expect the number to grow.

Like many aging hip-hop figures — including many of those he beefed with in the bicoastal rap feuds of the 1990s alongside the Notorious B.I.G. — the Bad Boy Records founder Combs had established a gentler, more worldly public image. The doting father of seven children was a respected international businessman, whose annual “White Party” in the Hamptons was once a must-have invitation for the jet-setting elite.

But prosecutors said he used the same companies, people and methods he used to build his business and cultural power to facilitate his crimes. They said they would prove it with financial, travel and billing records, electronic data and communications and videos of the “Freak Offs” to prove their case.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Ventura did.

Combs was arrested late Monday in a Manhattan hotel, roughly six months after federal authorities raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami and revealed they were conducting a sex trafficking investigation.

During the searches, law enforcement seized narcotics, videos of the “Freak Offs” and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to prosecutors. They said agents also seized firearms and ammunition, including three AR-15s with defaced serial numbers.

The indictment portrays Combs as so violent that he caused injuries that often took days or weeks to heal. His employees and associates sometimes witnessed his violence and kept victims from leaving or tracked down those who tried, the indictment said.

A conviction on every charge in the indictment would require a mandatory 15 years in prison with the possibility of a life sentence.

Combs and his attorneys denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits filed after Ventura’s.

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What to Know About Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Indictment

Associated Press — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:50:02 +0000

NEW YORK – Sean “Diddy” Combs, the disgraced hip-hop mogul, faces federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges in an indictment that was unsealed Tuesday. He was arrested Monday in New York after being indicted by a federal grand jury. The arrest and indictment come after a months-long sex trafficking investigation and 10 months after a flurry of women came forward with allegations of sexual and other abuse.

Prior to the unsealing of the indictment, Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ attorney, said they knew what the charges would be and that Combs is “innocent of these charges.”

Here is a look at the key details of the three-count indictment.

Alleged Assaults Date Back to 2008

The indictment covers explicit details of Combs allegedly assaulting several women since 2008. He is accused of “verbal, emotional, physical and sexual” abuse and that he “hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times, by their hair” in assaults that took “days or weeks to heal.”

In a large focus of the indictment, investigators said Combs orchestrated sexual encounters between his victims and male sex workers that he called “Freak Offs” — defined in the indictment as “elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.”

According to authorities, these encounters sometimes lasted for days and often involved multiple commercial sex workers, with Combs drugging the participants to “keep the victims obedient and compliant.” The raids of Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami homes resulted in the seizure of supplies for the “Freak Offs,” including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, prosecutors said.

Combs Accused of Leading Criminal Enterprise

The indictment alleges that Combs and others he associated with were members of a criminal organization that engaged in several illegal activities, including sex trafficking, forced labor, prostitution-related transportation and coercion, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice. Combs is accused of leading the criminal operations, and the indictment says those who worked for him, including security staff, household staff, personal assistants and “high-ranking supervisors” were all a part of the criminal enterprise, either knowingly or unknowingly.

According to prosecutors, the group surrounding Combs worked to preserve and protect Combs’ power through violent means, including by using firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

“Combs did not do this all on his own,” the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Damian Williams, said at a press conference Tuesday morning. “He used his business and employees of that business and other close associates to get his way.”

Williams also said Combs’ employees were involved in organizing and arranging the “Freak Offs,” often supplying materials, cleaning hotel rooms after the encounters and helping to cover up the assaults.

The racketeering conspiracy charge has been famously used to bring down the Mafia and drug cartels.

Combs Intimidated Victims to Stay Silent, Prosecutors Say

Combs carried or brandished firearms to “intimidate or threaten others,” including victims and witnesses of his assaults, according to the indictment. In the raids of his Los Angeles and Miami homes, law enforcement officials said they found guns and ammunition, including three AR-15s with “defaced” serial numbers.

The indictment also accuses Combs of leveraging his victims’ desires to build careers in the music industry by using his money and influence to take advantage of them. Officials also said Combs used recordings of the “Freak Offs” to keep the victims from coming forward. Combs also controlled his victims’ housing, tracked their location, dictated their appearance, monitored their medical records and supplied them with drugs, investigators said.

Another court filing details several other acts of violence and intimidation Combs and his associates carried out, including kidnapping one person at gunpoint and slicing open a car’s convertible top to drop a Molotov cocktail inside, causing the car to explode. The filing also says police reports, fire department records and witnesses can all corroborate these instances.

Investigation Is Ongoing, More Arrests Are Possible

Prosecutors say they have interviewed more than 50 victims of and witnesses to Combs’ abuse, but that they expect more people to come forward with their accounts.

Given the ongoing nature of the investigation, prosecutors said they cannot share some details, including information about the witnesses who have provided or will provide testimony.

Williams said Tuesday that he is seeking to have Combs detained while he awaits trial. In responding to a question about whether Combs’ associates or employees will face charges, Williams said he “can’t take anything off the table.”

“Our investigation is very active and ongoing,” he added.

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Dem California Senator Slams Progressives for Weakening Pedophile Legislation

Anthony W. Haddad — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 19:31:41 +0000

A Democratic California state senator declared “I’m done with us,” as she criticized progressive members of her party for attempting to weaken a proposed law targeting pedophiles, as reported by the NY Post.

Democratic Sen. Susan Eggman of Stockton delivered a passionate speech on the Senate floor last Thursday while lawmakers considered a bill making it a felony to purchase or solicit a minor for commercial sex in California.

“I’d like to say as a progressive, proud member of this body for the last 12 years, I’m done. I’m done with us protecting people who would buy and abuse our children. I’m done,” said Eggman.

Eggman continued: “I don’t want to send more black and brown men to prison. I don’t want more people in prison, but I don’t want people buying girls. I don’t want people buying little girls anymore. I’m tired of saying it’s OK and that we have to protect the men who do it.”

Buying or Soliciting Sex From a Child is Currently a Misdemeanor

Currently, buying or soliciting sex from a child in California is a misdemeanor with a penalty of two days to one year in jail and a $10,000 fine. Bill 1414, authored by GOP state Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield and supported by Eggman, aims to increase this penalty to at least two to four years in prison and include sex offender registration.

Last month, some Democrats watered down the bill to make it a felony only for purchasing minors under 16, KCRA reported.

“I am not arguing that we open the gates to flood our prisons with people, but I am arguing that we have a moral responsibility to say, ‘Enough, enough,'” Eggman said as the issue returned to the Senate. “It’s not OK. And I’m not doing it anymore. And I hope none of you do too. We have to be able to draw a line.”

The bill, which Gov. Gavin Newsom has signaled support for, passed the Senate 36-0 and is headed to the state Assembly. Eggman and Grove ended up voting for it.

Read more at the NY Post.

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Former Undercover FBI Agent Exposes Dark World of Child Trafficking in US

News — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:59:38 +0000

In 2003, a woman named Paulina began an online relationship with a man named Stephen Bolen. They met in a Yahoo chat group and quickly formed a bond, sharing intimate details about their lives. Paulina, a single mother living in Atlanta, told Bolen about her abusive childhood and her desire to provide a better life for her daughter.

Bolen, intrigued by Paulina’s story, asked for pictures of her daughter. Paulina complied, sending innocent photos of her child. Bolen, a known pedophile, was arrested when he attempted to meet Paulina and her daughter in person. But Paulina was not who she seemed. She was FBI Special Agent Nikki Badolato, working undercover to expose child traffickers.

The Agent Behind the Alias

Badolato, now retired from the FBI and living in a quiet suburb of St. Louis, has spent her career fighting against child exploitation. She has arrested more than a thousand people, all of whom have been convicted. Her work has taken her into the darkest corners of the internet, where she has posed as a willing participant in child trafficking to catch predators. Despite the emotional toll of her work, Badolato remains committed to protecting children from exploitation.

The Reality of Child Trafficking

However, Badolato is frustrated by the misconceptions surrounding child trafficking. She argues that the problem is not confined to foreign countries or Hollywood, but is a pervasive issue in American society.

According to a 2018 report by the State Department, the U.S. is one of the worst countries in the world for human trafficking. The Department of Justice estimates that between 14,500 and 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. each year, but this pales in comparison to the estimated 199,000 American minors who are sexually exploited annually.

The Societal Roots of Child Trafficking

Badolato’s work has shown her that child trafficking is not just a criminal issue, but a societal one. Many victims are exploited by people they know and trust, often family members. The problem is exacerbated by societal issues such as poverty, addiction, and mental health issues. Badolato believes that addressing these root causes is key to combating child trafficking.

Jeffrey Epstein Sex Scandal Documents: Read Them for Yourself

Associated Press — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 18:15:09 +0000

NEW YORK — The release of dozens of previously sealed court documents from a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein might disappoint online sleuths who anticipated explosive new information.

The 40 documents released late Wednesday largely mention figures whose names were already known, including high-profile friends of Epstein’s and victims who have spoken publicly. In fact, the judge who made the call last month to release the information said she was doing so largely because much of it is already public.

This is a link to the documents.

Still, the plan to release the documents prompted rumors of a list of “clients” or “co-conspirators,” and misinformation about their contents ran rampant on social media.

Users wrongly claimed that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s name might appear, spurred by a joke New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers made Tuesday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

Kimmel said in a response on X that he had never met Epstein and that Rodgers’ “reckless words put my family in danger.”

The documents unsealed Wednesday are the latest of thousands previously made public in lawsuits involving Epstein. About 250 more are expected to be released in the future.

Here’s what we know about the documents released so far:

WHO IS JEFFREY EPSTEIN?

A millionaire known for associating with celebrities, politicians, billionaires, and academic stars, Epstein was initially arrested in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex.

Dozens of other underage girls described similar sexual abuse, but prosecutors ultimately allowed the financier to plead guilty in 2008 to a charge involving a single victim. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.

Some famous acquaintances abandoned Epstein after his conviction, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, but many did not. Epstein continued to mingle with the rich and famous for another decade, often through philanthropic work.

Reporting by the Miami Herald renewed interest in the scandal, and federal prosecutors in New York charged Epstein in 2019 with sex trafficking. He killed himself in jail while awaiting trial.

The U.S. attorney in Manhattan then prosecuted Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell for helping recruit his underage victims. She was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison term.

WHAT ARE THESE RECORDS ABOUT?

The documents being unsealed are part of a 2015 lawsuit filed against Maxwell by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Giuffre. She is one of the dozens of women who sued Epstein saying he had abused them at his homes in Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and New Mexico.

Giuffre said the summer she turned 17, she was lured away from a job as a spa attendant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to become a “masseuse” for Epstein — a job that involved performing sexual acts.

Giuffre also claimed she was pressured into having sex with men in Epstein’s social orbit, including Britain’s Prince Andrew, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, and the billionaire Glenn Dubin, among others. All of those men said her accounts were fabricated.

Giuffre settled a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in 2022. That same year, Giuffre withdrew an accusation she had made against Epstein’s former attorney, the law professor Alan Dershowitz, saying she “ may have made a mistake ” in identifying him as an abuser.

Giuffre’s lawsuit against Maxwell was settled in 2017, but the Miami Herald went to court to access court papers initially filed under seal, including transcripts of interviews the lawyers did with potential witnesses.

About 2,000 pages were unsealed by a court in 2019. Additional documents were released in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The batch currently being released contains around 250 records with sections that were blacked out or were sealed entirely because of concerns about the privacy rights of Epstein’s victims and other people whose names had come up during the legal battle but weren’t complicit in his crimes.

Only around 40 of those documents were made public Wednesday. More will be released in the coming days.

WHEN WILL THE REST OF THE DOCUMENTS BE MADE PUBLIC?

The judge hasn’t set a target for when all of the documents should be made public, but more documents are expected to come in the next few days.

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Seattle’s Open Prostitution Market Draws New Scrutiny After Latest Harrowing Abduction

admin — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:16:04 +0000

SEATTLE — A vanload of church volunteers drove along a main street in north Seattle one night last month with sandwiches, water bottles and blankets for homeless people. They didn’t find any — but they did see dozens of barely clothed women walking along the road or leaning into traffic to advertise their services.

“Just woman after woman after woman,” recalled one of the volunteers, Stuart Jenner. “We prayed for them as we drove south.”

About two hours later, the FBI said, a man posing as an undercover police officer shackled and abducted a woman from the area after soliciting her to engage in prostitution. He then drove her hundreds of miles to his home in southern Oregon, where he locked her in a makeshift cell in his garage — a cinder block cage with a metal door, charging papers say. She escaped by punching the door, bloodying her knuckles, until it broke.

Authorities say they are looking for more possible victims after linking the man, Negasi Zuberi, to violent sexual assaults in at least four other states. His newly appointed public defender, Devin Huseby, declined to comment Thursday.

The July 15 abduction is one of at least three cases in the past year in which police say women engaged in prostitution along Aurora Avenue had to make harrowing escapes or otherwise be rescued after being held against their will, and it raised questions about the consequences of tolerating an open sex market along the busy thoroughfare.

“The Aurora Avenue North corridor has been a longstanding public safety challenge with human trafficking, street prostitution, drug dealing, and gun violence,” Jamie Housen, a spokesperson for Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, said in an email.

Seattle has Begun Clamping Down

Seattle has been clamping down, Housen said. Police regularly make arrests in the area and issued nuisance notices last week to two budget motels on Aurora that authorities said were hotbeds of prostitution and other crime.

Aurora, an urban highway also known as State Route 99, is one of the city’s main north-south arterials. Especially known for prostitution is a stretch of about 2 miles close to the city’s northern limit that is flanked by home-improvement stores, single-story businesses, strip malls and cheap motels.

Residents have noticed a dramatic increase in the activity since the pandemic struck in 2020, as the Seattle Police Department has contended with a severe shortage of officers.

That was also the year the City Council eliminated loitering crimes as they relate to drug trafficking and prostitution. Loitering charges were rarely filed anyway, but the council cited the racist history of such laws, which were preceded by Jim Crow-era vagrancy statutes designed to target formerly enslaved people, in eliminating them.

Last November, a 20-year-old woman who had been trafficked along Aurora tried to escape her pimp by jumping nearly naked out of the third-floor window of a home in south Seattle where she’d been kept. The escape failed, and after the pimp drove her back up to Aurora, she tried again, this time running from him and sitting topless in the roadway. A rideshare driver stopped and rescued her — and then engaged in a rolling gunfight with the pimp, who chased them in his car, police said.

The defendant in that case, Winston Burt, was arrested soon after and now faces federal sex trafficking and gun charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

Last month, a 19-year-old man and 17-year-old boy were charged with trafficking two young women out of one of the motels on Aurora, after one of the women called her father to report she was being held against her will.

The city followed up by declaring the Emerald Motel and the Seattle Inn to be chronic nuisances. The declaration requires the owners to submit a plan explaining how they will prevent their properties from being used for criminal behavior, Housen said. Failure to comply can result in fines.

Calls to those establishments seeking comment did not go through Thursday, with an automated message saying the lines were busy.

“Human trafficking takes a tragic, significant, and unacceptable toll on victims and the entire community,” Housen said. “Mayor Harrell recognizes that addressing this issue requires more than just law enforcement, including a special emphasis on victim services, support, and advocacy.”

Cory Cocktail, the co-founder of the Seattle sex worker outreach organization Green Light Project, said sex work is inherently risky, but outdoor work is especially dangerous because of the difficulty in vetting clients. The closing of the motels to prostitution could make it even worse, he said, because workers might be more likely to resort to getting into clients’ cars instead.

And without a consolidated community based around the motels, it would be harder for sex workers to look out for each other, Cocktail said.

“I unfortunately have been expecting something like this to happen,” Cocktail said. “I hate saying that out loud, but the circumstances being what they are, predators are empowered to hurt people right now.”

For Jenner, who volunteered through his church, University Presbyterian, for a late-night shift with the Union Gospel Mission’s “Search and Rescue Program” on July 14, learning that an abduction had occurred just hours later reminded him of Gary Ridgway, the Green River serial killer, who terrorized the region in the 1980s. Ridgway picked up some of his victims, many of them sex workers, along the same stretch of Aurora.

One of Ridgway’s victims, Mary Bridgett Meehan, 19, was a classmate of Jenner.

“My fervent hope is that this story can help someone to do something about all the prostitution that is on northern Aurora Avenue in Seattle,” Jenner wrote in an email to elected officials Wednesday.

The post Seattle’s Open Prostitution Market Draws New Scrutiny After Latest Harrowing Abduction appeared first on GV Wire.