A Seattle-area investigation has resulted in the shutdown of two sex-trafficking websites, the shuttering of 12 brothels and the arrest of about a dozen people. If you believe you have information about a potential trafficking situation call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Czerwien, Berman, and Finkel are serving Marshal Tyreece Miller announces the arrest of David Jenkins for vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and reckless endangerment. co-conspirators, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced Tuesday. ", Find certified small business contractors and suppliers. He's what's called an adversarial journalist. King County's response to human trafficking, Watch a video of King County leaders launching the campaign, King County Council issued a proclamation, Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (Prostituted Youth), National Human Trafficking Resource Center, Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), Poster downloads available in multiple languages, Children who are lured or forced into commercial sex trade/prostitution, Workers who have had their ID, passport, or documents taken away, Workers who show signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture, Workers who show signs of emotional abuse, Workers who are being threatened by or are in debt to their boss, Workers who are under 18 and are involved in the commercial sex industry, Workers who are not free to leave or come and go from their place of work as they wish, Workers who don't seem to be receiving payment, Cannot leave your job or situation if you want to, Have you ever been deprived of food, water, sleep, or medical care, Have to ask permission to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom, Have re locks on your doors and windows so you cannot get out, Have had identification or documentation taken away, Are being forced to do anything that you do not want to do, Learn more about how you can help stop human trafficking at the, Do not patronize the commercial sex industry. The victim said King and Hoyt would arrange the meetings with the men at the group home and would take photos and videos with their smartphones. Urquhart said many of the women were forced to work as prostitutes in order to pay off debt incurred by traveling to the U.S. These women are true victims, make no mistake about it, said Urquhart. Tags Alachua Alachua County Alachua County Sheriff's Office bottle driving driving under the influence Florida Gainesville homeless kidnapping local Newberry police road staff state Tower Road trial WUFT wuft news, TAMPA, Fla. Who was pretending to be Kelvin Johnson, for more than three decades? . Leah M. Zink HSI exploits the financial vulnerabilities of smuggling and trafficking organizations to stop their illegal activities. Mylett, noting some believe prostitution is a victimless crime, said one woman killed last April in a Bellevue apartment worked as a prostitute, though her death is unrelated to the current investigation. The victim also told officers that the two men were trying to open a bank account under her name. The victim said since she moved into Safe Hands Group Home, King and Hoyt have forced her into commercialized sexual activity with dozens of men in the group home, according to arrest records. Police also said King and Hoyt were in possession of cellphones that match the description of the cellphones used to allegedly record the victim performing sex acts on customers. International Sales(Includes Middle East), Business Insight Solutions Partner Portal, Corporate InfoPro (Corporate Information Professionals), InfoPro (Legal Information Professionals), http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/February/08_crm_145.html. About Justin King. Copyright 2022 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved. sentenced Justin Eric King, 27, of Chipley, to 41 months in federal prison Watch a video of King County leaders launching the campaign. applications to alien candidates. conviction on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud and This includes the Downtown entertainment district, specialized patrol functions such . The indictment alleges that in or before 2015, the conspirators and their associates engaged in mail fraud, international forced labor trafficking, and money laundering, among other crimes, fraudulently using the H-2A work visa program to smuggle foreign nationals from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras into the United States under the pretext of serving as agricultural workers. . the former Soviet Union and have already been sentenced. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. co-conspirators brought illegal aliens, mostly from Bulgaria and Romania, to A. Karpenko (in 1973). King joined Digital Journal just last year, and has published about 300 articles, often featuring on-the-ground reports and in-depth interviews. The workers were held in cramped, unsanitary quarters and fenced work camps with little or no food, limited plumbing and without safe water. and their charges include: The charges of Conspiracy to Engage in Forced Labor, and Forced Labor, each carry statutory penalties of up to life in prison, while the charges of Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, Mail Fraud, Money Laundering Conspiracy, and Tampering with a Witness each carry statutory penalties of up to 20 years in prison. To get help, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888. One of the victims told investigators he was looking for bottles in the trash when King approached him and offered money to cut is lawn. He's spent time in jail as a result of some of his military "work." Through the national SafePlace program, youth may also text SAFE and their current location to 69866 and get help within seconds. He's been critically injured plenty of times in the past, but has never had an out of body experience before. Learn more at the, Know who made your products. As of Thursday, both men remained in jail on a bond of $250,000 each. Anna Czerwien, 57, Northern District of Florida announced today. "Justin Eric King, 27, of Chipley, Fla., has been sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years supervised release resulting from his conviction on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. Richard Homchick, 49, has also been charged with second-degree promoting prostitution, but his name does not appear in the King County Jail register. Florida Division of Corporations records show that King co-owns the Safe Hands Group Home LLC located at 1221 NW 31st Ave. As described in the indictment, investigators from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of States Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. They are forced to perform both legal and illegal work ranging from prostitution to exotic dancing, street peddling to housekeeping, child care to construction and landscaping. Claxton, GA (November 30, 2021) - The GBI is investigating the death of a 10-month old boy in Claxton, Georgia. According to the Polaris Project of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the following may be signs that someone is a victim of trafficking: Help is available in our community. tjc west campus catalog 2021. The . King County recognizes that human trafficking is a violation of human rights and a threat to public health and safety nationally as well as in our own community. According to the arrest report, while the victim was still unconscious, she was driven to a library where she was dropped off. The visa fraud conspiracy King and Hoyt were suspects in a previous incident of sexual human trafficking at this same address six months ago and admitted to prostitution occurring at the group home, according to arrest records. Justin's work can be found on hundreds of outlets and in dozens of languages. I ended up in jail for things I DON'T REMEMBER DOING. and broadening the conspiracy, prosecutors said. More recently, especially in science-fictional contexts, the Moon has been called by the Latin name Luna, presumably on the analogy of the Latin names of the planets, or by association with the adjectival form lunar. Officers say on Sept. 19, the victim moved into the Safe Hands Group Home on Northwest 31st Avenue which partners with homeless shelters. That investigation was six months prior to the current investigation. The American dream is a powerful attraction for destitute and desperate people across the globe, and where there is need, there is greed from those who will attempt to exploit these willing workers for their own obscene profits, said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney and Human Trafficking Coordinator Tania D. Groover, and Assistant U.S. Attorney and Criminal Division Deputy Chief E. Greg Gilluly Jr., and Assistant U.S. Attorney Xavier A. Cunningham, Section Chief of the Asset Recovery Unit. All the latest breaking news on Human trafficking. Sigurd Zitars, 61, is the owner and operator of TheReviewboard.net, according to charging papers. 2018 Islamic Center of Cleveland. A federal jury in Burlington, Vermont, previously found Folks guilty of 13 federal . WASHINGTON A man who smuggled illegal aliens into They will connect you to local assistance. Both were being held on $500,000 bonds. Most of the aliens were Bulgarians and Romanians, investigators He believes strongly in the decentralization of power and the inherent rights of people. Martin Luther King Jr. Culture. The three are natives of Seven defendants are among those facing federal charges including illegal possession of firearms after separate indictments by a grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia, while recent actions in A former U.S. Army sergeant who admitted he stabbed to death a former fellow soldier in his Fort Stewart barracks room has been sentenced to life in federal prison. Many of the members made comments that indicated they were aware these girls were more than likely trafficked and had little choice in choosing to work as prostitutes, say the charges. conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher . Because many victims are youth and children, and others are isolated linguistically and physically from their local communities, the issue of human trafficking is an equity and social justice issue for our community. One former Seattle-area sex worker decried the shutdown of thereviewboard.net, saying it now forces sex workers to go into the street where prospective customers cannot be screened. visa allows an alien employee to work for a specific employer if there are no. She said she then had a seizure and was unconscious for several hours on the floor of her room. Australian Zoo Gets Funnel Web Spider Nicknamed 'Megaspider'. Feds name man they say lived under anothers identity for 3 decades, Pickleball is growing on Floridas college campuses, The Point, March 1, 2023: East Gainesville residents discuss new urgent care center, Through fires and a pandemic, Satchels Pizza approaches 20 years of serving up slices, Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary welcomes baby animals. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. near Destin. Former NFL player Eric Duane Johnson was arrested as one of eight people allegedly involved in human trafficking. A 2008 study of commercial sexual exploitation of youth in King County estimated that at least 300-500 girls were being trafficked at that time. Marshals Service, with assistance from the Georgia National Guard; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Georgia State Patrol; the Coffee County Sheriffs Office; the Chatham County Sheriffs Office; the Tattnall County Sheriffs Office; the Bacon County Sheriffs Office; and the Tift County Sheriffs Office. The firms It (the shutdown) increases the odds a sex worker needing to make rent will take an unverified client, Savannah Sly, president of the Sex Worker Outreach Project, wrote in an email. In exchange for money, the victim would have to perform sexual acts for the men, sometimes without her consent. Tiffany H. Eggers of the Northern District of Florida. The woman told library staff that she was a victim of human sex trafficking and asked the staff to call 911. after a jury in December convicted him on multiple counts of fraud and justin eric king human trafficking. coconspirators pleaded guilty and testified against him in the December jury A lock ( Press Release. According to arrest warrants, Robert King befriended the young men by plying them with money and drugs. Operation Autumn Hope was a multi-agency enforcement operation . Then, as the continuing investigation into the conspiracy moved forward in late 2019, the indictment alleges that three of the conspirators attempted to intimidate and persuade a witness to lie to a federal grand jury and deny any knowledge of the illegal activities of the Patricio organization. Human smuggling involves the provision of a servicetypically, transportation or fraudulent documentsto an individual who voluntarily seeks to gain illegal entry into a foreign country. the Justice Departments Domestic Security Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney You can be a victim of human trafficking in your hometown. . Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide - including right here in the United States. justin eric king human trafficking. 92, No. The national hotline for victims of human trafficking is 888-373-7888. 22 Barnard Street, Suite 300 This should not be used for legal research but instead can be used to find solutions that will help you do legal research. Law enforcement experience suggests that this is an under-count. Please use the links below for donations: There is no parole in the federal system. Some missing people: Russell Cook, Eric King, Paul Sherman, Scott Shimizu --colleagues from Micronesia. A home labeled as a place that offers services for homelessness is now at the center of a criminal investigation involving human sex trafficking. Victims are often kept out of sight and are afraid to reach out for help. Alachua County Commission unknowingly appoints man charged with attempted murder to historical board, Gainesville community comes together to form a Chain of Peace, Retired cop never forgot unsolved case, helped convict rapist decades later, Mystery solved? Law enforcement seeking public assistance in locating an individual wanted for attempted murder (Photo) Around 10 a.m., on Tuesday, November 16, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) patrol deputies received a report of a person attempting to steal a vehicle in the 44000 block of East Larch Mountain Road. A locked padlock In many instances, police identified League members by following them to their vehicles and running their license plate numbers. New Haven Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Firearm . Multnomah Co. Sheriff's Office. When the woman spoke with investigators, according to the report, she said that King and Hoyt took control of her Supplemental Security Income check and were in the process of attempting to open a bank account in her name. By ANDREW GANT andrewg @ nwfdailynews. WASHINGTON Justin Eric King, 27, of Chipley, Fla., has been sentenced to 41 Except for Mueller, all of the men are being held in lieu of $75,000 bail. More than 200 law enforcement officers and federal agents from around the United States convened in the Southern District of Georgia to execute more than 20 federal search warrants at target locations. sought $3.2 million. Eric Rundstrom of Wallingford has . U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith and Toledo Police Chief George Kral made the announcement. Police say they were able to arrest the suspects after the victim alerted staff at a local library branch to call for law enforcement. illegal work visas from 1999 to 2007. Mueller, who is also accused of running brothels out of high-end, luxury apartments in Bellevue, is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail, as is Michael Durnal, 47. The report states that the victim referred to King and Hoyt as caretakers, but the Safe Hands Group LLC business is publicly listed as being owned by King. The two men are each charged with a count of human trafficking after police said the pair forced a homeless woman into prostitution. Cancel anytime. More than 70 of them entered the country on "Justin Eric King, 27, of Chipley, Fla., has been sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years supervised release resulting from his conviction on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. Exploitation of the workers included being required to dig onions with their bare hands, paid 20 cents for each bucket harvested, and threatened with guns and violence to keep them in line. King joined Digital Journal just last year, and has published about 300 . WASHINGTON A man who smuggled illegal aliens into Northwest Florida will spend more time in prison than his co-conspirators, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.. A judge sentenced Justin Eric King, 27, of Chipley, to 41 months in federal prison after a jury in December convicted him on . King is an outspoken critic of all authoritarian systems. Urquhart said detectives also have the names and photos of thousands of men who signed up for accounts on TheReviewboard.net, but he said its unlikely those men will face misdemeanor prostitution charges. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. The government initially He had a calming demeanor, unkempt beard, military aura and huge YouTube following. Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud or coercion. Choose from a broad listing of topics suited for law firms, corporate legal departments, and government entities. Human trafficking involves exploiting men, women, or children for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. According to the arrest report, the victim moved into the Safe Hands Group Home, which is advertised online as a place that offers services for homelessness. The brothels were operated out of high-end apartment complexes in Bellevue, where prostituted women from South Korea were forced to work often for 12 hours a day, seven days a week, to pay off debts, according to Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett. He comes from a military family, born in Japan. Operators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. months. Members of The League, who used anonymous handles instead of their real names, would regularly meet at local pubs or restaurants. According to the report, when police asked the victim about her relationship with King and Hoyt, she stated, Its basically like they own me.. Website visitors should continue to check back periodically to see . Three of Kings 45-year-old Vyacheslave Adolfovich Stan Finkel, who was sentenced to 12 In 2016, Hoyt was convicted of child neglect, driving under the influence and attempted sexual battery, according to court records. For more information, please see our One of the brothel owners is an alleged member of The League, an exclusive group of local sex buyers who were also charged with promoting prostitution after being infiltrated by undercover detectives, he said. Zitars and a group of 50 of his most prolific posters nationwide established themselves as an exclusive, invitation-only group that called itself The League, police and prosecutors say. The report states that King and Hoyt were not the only ones who allegedly took advantage of the victim. / CBS/AP. Investigators said both men told stories to police that did not add up. The website allowed sex workers to vet potential clients. This is a breaking news story. Each of the charges also include substantial financial penalties and periods of supervised release after completion of any prison term. Cookie Notice GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - The Gainesville Police Department arrested two men accused of holding a woman against her will and forcing her to commit sexual acts with other men for money. Camila is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org. Human trafficking can occur in any industry, including agriculture, construction, domestic service (housekeeper, nanny), restaurants, salons, commercial sex work, massage parlors, and small businesses. 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