Five Arrested in Houston Sex Trafficking Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

CRM
(202) 514-2007
TDD (202) 514-1888

Four men and one woman have been arrested on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking of children, as well as forcing and coercing adults to engage in commercial sex acts.

The charges against the six total defendants represent the single-largest domestic sex trafficking case ever prosecuted in the Southern District of Texas.

“The protection of the innocent and the most vulnerable among us is one of the most important obligations of law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer. “Sex trafficking, especially the trafficking of children, is unconscionable, and federal law enforcement is working closely with state and local authorities to fight this most reprehensible sort of exploitation.”

“It is a horrible reflection on our society when adults prey on the vulnerabilities of children and reduce them to indentured sex slaves,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Tim Johnson.  “Whenever and wherever offenses of such a depraved nature occur, our law enforcement community will respond with the sum of our collective prosecutorial resources.”

Five of the six defendants were arrested late Monday, Aug. 24, 2009, and early Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, in a coordinated effort between federal and local law enforcement with warrants issued following the return of a sealed indictment by a Houston grand jury on Aug. 4, 2009.

The indictment unsealed today charges John Butler, 47; William Hornbeak, 34; Jamine Lake, 27; Andre McDaniels, 39; Kristen Land, 28; all of Houston, and Ronnie Presley, 35, formerly of Houston and currently of Tulsa, Okla., with conspiracy to traffic women and children for the purposes of commercialized sex; sex trafficking of children; sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; transportation of minors; transportation; and coercion and enticement.

Upon conviction, each count of sex trafficking and transportation of minors carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Each count of transportation carries up to 10 years in prison, charges for coercion and enticement carry up to 20 years in prison and conspiracy carries up to five years in prison. All charges carry up to a $250,000 fine.

Butler, Hornbeak, Lake, McDaniels and Land were arrested in Houston. The government will ask the court to hold all the defendants in federal custody without bond pending trial. Presley is a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about Presley’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact their local FBI field office, or the Houston FBI Field Office at (713)-693-5000.

According to the unsealed indictment, the defendants allegedly operated commercialized sex businesses often disguised as modeling studios, health spas, massage parlors and bikini bars in Houston, and used sexually oriented publications and Web sites to advertise their illicit business. The criminal enterprise allegedly transported women and minors to and from the Houston area and had ties to Kansas, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. Women and minors as young as 16 were allegedly enticed and coerced into prostitution and were routinely beaten and threatened. The defendants allegedly collected any proceeds the women and minors received as a result of “dates,” rendering them dependent upon the defendants for basic necessities.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

“The defendants are charged with transporting and threatening young women with violence in order to force them into prostitution,” Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot said. “A concerted, cooperative effort by state and federal law enforcement is cracking down on the horrific crime of human trafficking – and those who profit from it.”

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force and the Houston Police Department as part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative. A joint effort of the FBI, the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the initiative was founded in June 2003 to address criminal enterprises involving the domestic sex trafficking of children.  At least one minor was rescued during the course of the investigation. Other minors and several adults have been returned to their families.

“From low-tech methods such as prostituting minors at truck stops, to high-tech methods such as internet advertising, our children are being used as commodities for sale or trade,” FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Richard C. Powers said. “Here in Houston we have established unprecedented cooperation among law enforcement agencies that are working together to link cases, make arrests, and rescue children being sold on our streets. We will not allow our city to be a safe haven for this unconscionable activity.  If you hear about it, if you suspect it, report it.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Zack and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Goodwin of the Southern District of Texas and of the Texas Attorney General’s Office and Trial Attorney Michael Yoon of CEOS.

New Richmond Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

Madison, WI—Erik C. Peterson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jason M. Pape, 37, of New Richmond, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb to 90 months in prison, without parole, for possessing child pornography. Following his release from prison, Pape will be on supervised release for the rest of his life. Pape pleaded guilty to the charge on March 6, 2009.

On May 15, 2008, police officers from the New Richmond Police Department and Polk County Sheriff’s Department executed search warrants at Pape’s home in New Richmond and a residence used by Pape in Osceola, Wis. At these residences, law enforcement officers found numerous images of child pornography on his computer hard drives.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The charges against Pape were the result of an investigation conducted by the New Richmond Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Croix County Sheriff’s Department, and Polk County Sheriff’s Office . The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Jarosz.

Youth at higher risk of involvement in the sex trade

All youth can be recruited or forced into the sextrade.

However some youth are more at risk.

Youth in foster care and youth with child welfare involvement

A 2007 research report out of New York State found a high correlation between child welfare involvement and subsequent commercial sexual exploitation. between 85 to 89% of youth reported to be commercially sexually exploited had prior child welfare involvement.1

Youth who are homeless,AWOL, runaway, in unstable housing  situations

Research results demonstrate a consistently high risk of involvement in survival sex or other forms of commercial sexual exploitation for youth without stable housing. the most recent federally funded national study found 70% of homeless youth are commercially sexually exploited.2

Out of school youth, unemployed youth, low or no income youth

While not documented specifically in research, youth in group discussions have reported a lack of money or survival needs (even when youth have a place to live), lack of access to jobs and lack of skills from dropping  out or being pushed out of school as direct links to their involvement or consideration of the sex trade to make money.

Youth with family involved in the sex trade and/or an active sex trade in their community

Youth in prevention workshops continue to identify being around an active sex trade in their community or family members involved in the sex trade as a risk factor. Youth stress that people in the community are more likely to encourage or recruit them and an active sex trade normalizes the option.

Youth with a history of sexual abuse

All research studies that ask youth who are or have been involved in the sex trade about previous sexual abuse prior to any commercial sexual exploitation find rates of up to over 90%. Research also suggests that sexual abuse is a factor independent of any resulting running away or substance abuse.3

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Youth

Personally I disapprove of the word Queer…..by definition….abnormal or odd.  Traditional teachings tell me that all human beings are spiritually equal in creation and have a purpose in the grand scheme of life.  But the movement is because of the context in which it was reclaimed, queer has sociopolitical connotations, and is often preferred by those who are activists, by those who strongly reject traditional gender identities, by those who reject distinct sexual identities such as gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight, and by those who see themselves as oppressed by the heteronormativity of the larger culture. In this usage it retains the historical connotation of “outside the bounds of normal society” and can be construed as “breaking the rules for sex and gender.” It can be preferred because of its ambiguity, which allows “queer” identifying people to avoid the sometimes strict boundaries that surround other labels. In this context, “queer” is not a synonym for LGBT as it creates a space for “queer” heterosexuals as well as “non-queer” (“straight-acting”) homosexuals.4

LGBTQQ youth make up 20 to 40% of all homeless youth, resulting in high rates of survival sex.5

Additionally, a study in Canada found LGBT youth were three times more likely to trade sex for survival than heterosexual youth.5 Almost 60% of transgender youth reported exchanging sex for money in recent Chicago based research.

Youth of Color

African American minors are over-represented in prostitution arrests, comprising 55% of all arrests of juveniles for prostitution across the U.S. in 2002. Some of the evidence suggests this may have to do with unequal law enforcement strategies that target communities of color. However this may also reflect a higher involvement of African American, Latino, Asian,  and Native American or First Nations, that  experience higher rates of poverty and involvement in the child welfare system.

1. Gragg, F. et al.  (2007). New York Prevalence Study of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children. http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/reports/CSEC-2007.pdf. Accessed April 8, 2009

2. Estes. R and Weiner N. (2001). The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the United States. Canada and Mexico. http://www.sp2.upenn.edu/-restes/csec Files/Complete CSEC 020220.pdf. Accesses April 8, 2009

3. Simons. R and Whitebeck, L. (1991) Sexual Abuse as a Precurser to prostitution and Victimization Among Adolescent and Adult Homeless Women. Journal of family Issues, 12(3).

4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer

5. National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (2007). Lesbian,gay, bisexual and trangender youth: An epidemic of homelessness. http://www.thetaskforce.org/reports and research/homeless youth. Accessed April 8, 2009

6. (Gaetz, S. (2004). Safe streets for whom? Homeless youth, social exclusion, and criminal victimization. canadian Journal of Criminal Justice, 46(6).)

7.Howard Brown Health Center (2008). http://www.howardbrown.org/uploadFiles /HowardBrownResearchNews0408.pdf. Accessed April 8. 2009

8. Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2002). Crime in the United States. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cuis 02/html/web/arrested/04-table43.html. Accessed April 8, 2009

Claudine O”Leary    www.rethinkresources.net

A few personal thoughts by yours truly…

Child Sexual Assault Myths and Facts

WCADV Beth Balo

• MYTH: Child Sexual Assault is most often committed by strangers.
• FACT: Over 90% of child sexual assault victims know their abuser.
• MYTH: Child Sexual Assault is a rare occurrence.
• FACT: 1 in 4 females and 1 in 7 males will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18.
• MYTH: The average age of the onset of child sexual assault is 6-8 years of age.
• FACT: The average age of sexual assault to a boy is 4.
• FACT: The average age of trafficking a child is 9
• MYTH: You can tell a sex offender be looking at him/her.
• FACT: Sex offenders come from all walks of life, can be male or female, all age groups.

FRIGHTENING NUMBERS

• CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12 COMPRISE 46% OF THE CASES OF FORCIBLE RAPE IN THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR.
• 88% of the incidents of child sexual assault go UNREPORTED.
• The FBI reports that only 2% of reported child sexual assault cases are false.

ALWAYS…ALWAYS….BELIEVE THE CHILD FIRST!

The Dark Side of the Internet and Cell Phones!

Report BY: Special Agent Eric Szatkowski
Wisconsin Department of Justice/Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) since 1991.
Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Milwaukee. Eric’s law enforcement experience also includes murder-for-hire, cold-case homicides, death investigations, anti-government groups, fugitives, and narcotics enforcement.
CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG ERIC CAUSE I KNOW YOUR OUT THERE IN CYBER-SPACE WATCHING….
Oh Yes and Miigwitch (thank-You) for that!
Since 1998 there have been more than 680,000 tips about online exploitation and the majority of the tips have involved child pornography.
In Wisconsin alone 20,000 sites are identified porn sites and these sites are abusing our children and subjecting them to sexual predators and porn.

I watched him as he logged on to my space and went into a CHAT. Here he introduced himself as a child home from school and bored. WITHIN SECONDS HE HAD TWO CHAT BUDDIES QUESTIONING WITHIN A MINUTE THERE WERE FOUR …..WITHIN FOUR MINUTES THERE WERE TEN CHAT BUDDIES ASKING…….QUESTIONS!

In 2002, 22 Million images and more of child pornography were on the internet.
INNOCENCE IS LOST ON THE INTERNET
1-5 teens have sex by age 15
1-4 girls between the ages of 4-11 have sexually transmitted diseases.
20%-Caucasian
20%-Hispanic
50%-African American
No mention of Native American nor Alaskan Natives?
Statistically speaking Alaskan Native women have the highest rate of sexual assault in the United States.
Chat or Cell children and teens are exposed to predators, pornography and bribed into sexual contact and online sex chats.
Do you know the old saying “a photo speaks a thousand words”, well a photo on the internet like Myspace, Facebook, Bebo, Xanga, and Cell Phones, “A PHOTO IS FOREVER!”
Think about this girls and boys IF YOU SEND A FRIEND A PHOTO OF YOU THAT IS SEXUALLY INAPPROPRIATE AND THEN THE FRIEND DECIDES NOT TO BE YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE AND PASSES IT ON TO YOUR MOM AND DAD OR WORST YET POST IT ON THE WEB OR EVEN WORST YET PUTS UP IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF YOUR SCHOOL….OH OH OH OMG!
25% of youth being exposed sexually or sexually enticed become depressed.
19% of youth being exposed have a very expanded vocabulary.
Porn on the Pod….no not Corn on the Cob….Pornography uploaded on an I-Pod.
Sexting….no not Texting sexually charged to a cell phone pornographic pictures and cell phone exchange, ALL YOU NEED IS A CELL PHONE NUMBER TO DO THIS. All of you professionals out there, teachers, counselors, be wary of this!
(see sexting teen suicide under the blogroll)
Vermont is considering legalizing teen sexting.
IT’S ALL ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT!
In Wisconsin it’s a crime 15 years and younger.
On YouTube our youth are subject to tons of porn such as rape dance and all a kid has to do is spell words like Big Tits and boom there it is OMG!
Take a look at LiveLeak.com real nice photo’s of Beyonce’s Butt, Britneys oops!, and Miley Cyrus Sexy Photos….HOW OLD IS SHE?
Children and Teenagers on these sites are:
10-20 harassed or bullied online
1-3 unwanted exposure to sexually inappropriate content
1-7 receive sexual solicitation
1-7 sexual exploitation
1-33 aggressive solicitation
Parents while your sleeping there getting bribed with alcohol, money, games, tickets to the game to send photo’s and YES, some sneak out and meet these guys in your back yard. WHAT DO YOU THINK THESE GUYS ARE DOING WHILE CHATTING, SEXTING AND LOOKING AT YOUR CHILD’S PHOTO…. WITH THEIR FREE HAND?
Most often the photo’s these guy’s are putting up on their myspaces or sending on Bebo are not the actual photo of the guy.
My space banded by-law 90,000 sexual predators there are 40,000 more than that on the sex offender registry….!
Sex offenders, Perverts, Pedophiles get a free ride. WHY?…… money for corporations and site owners. Corporations solicit their wares on these websites.
What about Private Spaces?????
No….not private…..try it anyone can get in.
These spaces are like diaries….do you think they check your birth certificate when you login…no, youth…. kids, no pictures, no addresses, no time schedules. When you invite friends those friends have friends and so on and on we go….

SEXUALIZATION=VICTIMIZATION

X-Box Live, Ruinscape and all live games on the internet are subject to perverts pretending to be a player…BEWARE!

1/3 to 1/2 of Internet user’s are children or our Youth…..Who do you think are the rest?
Police
Perverts
Predators
Stalkers
Students
Parents
Recruiters
Employers
Teachers
Colleges
Kids and young people your friends are not the only people on your site!
Parents her are some FILTERS.
What do they do WATCH!
www.guardiansoftware.com
spectorsoft.com
They cost otherwise…..
No Internet on the cell phones or camera’s or unlimited texting
No computer’s in private area’s
No No No No using computer’s without supervision.
On the side bar I will add some sites to help and report cyber crime. I will also add a cyber language dictionary.

Utah is No. 1 – for online pornography consumption

Rachel Madow/MSNBC News brought this up last night.

By Dawn House

The Salt Lake Tribune
Posted: 03/02/2009 07:39:01 PM MST

Besides its political bent, Utah’s per capita appetite for online pornography makes it the nation’s run-away red-light state.

A study by a Harvard Business School professor shows that Utah outpaces the more conservative states — which all tend to purchase more Internet porn than other states.

Online porn subscription rates are higher in states that enacted conservative legislation banning same-sex marriage or civil unions and where surveys show support for conservative positions on religion, gender roles and sexuality, according to an analysis published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives.

The Beehive State briefly experimented with a state-funded porn czar until 2003. The study examining online porn usage from 2006 to 2008 shows those efforts apparently failed.

Utah has the nation’s highest online porn subscription rate per thousand home broadband users, at 5.47, while the nearby states of Idaho and Montana showed the lowest rates of 1.98 and 1.92, respectively, according to the study.

Utah’s No. 1 score may have to do with its demographics, said the author of the study, Benjamin Edelman.

For instance, Internet porn subscriptions are particularly widespread in states with young populations, in the 15 to 24 age group, while people over 65 are less likely to subscribe. Income can be a another factor, with each $1,000 increase in average household income pushing up the number of subscribers. Rates also go
up with a college education and among people who are divorced, although marriage and graduate degrees have the opposite effect.

“Even when I control for income, age, education, and marital status, Utah residents still consume disproportionately more than people from other states,” said Edelman.

Another possibility for Utah’s top porn billing may be the scarcity of adult entertainment outside the home.

“If it is distinctively difficult to get this material in retail locations in Utah, Utah residents who seek such material may have to get it online,” said Edelman, in an e-mail. “On net, then, Utah residents would be buying more online adult entertainment — but perhaps not more total adult entertainment. That said, I analyzed only online adult entertainment, so I’m not in a position to assess the magnitude of this effect.”

Although Utah is headquarters for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Edelman found that regions where people regularly attend religious services are not statistically different from their counterparts in more secular regions. But users who do attend religious services tend to shift their adult entertainment sessions to other days of the week than the day of services.

Pamela Atkinson, head of the Utah Coalition Against Pornography, said other indications, such has Utah ranking second in Google searches for “hot sex” and “naughty,” back up what Edelman has found.

“What I do know is that from all accounts the problem is really growing in Utah,” she said. “People spending more time on the Internet are realizing this is something they can do in the privacy of their own rooms and their own homes.”

Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, who worked in law enforcement, said he has never dealt with a sex offender who didn’t get his start with pornography.

“I’m not a huge fan of censoring the Internet, but this is definitely something to look into to see if we can stop the influx of pornography into our society, because pornography is such a plague. It’s rotten to the core and it hurts families and it hurts children.”

Daniel Weis, spokesman for the Colorado-based Christian group, Focus on The Family, said the study “is credible only for what it is studying, which is very little.”

“My caution is that people do not extrapolate that this is a report for the entire nation,” he said. “The fact that conservative-minded people are fighting porn doesn’t mean that they go home and look at it.”

The study used data from anonymous credit card sales from a top-10 Internet porn provider that operates hundreds of Web sites offering a wide variety of adult entertainment. Edelman then correlated that data with ZIP code information for his analysis.

– Robert Gehrke contributed to this report.

This attitude following is Minimizing the issue. Pornography is a common characteristic for sexual offenders, stalkers, rapist and Domestic Violence. Women are viewed as objects not human beings.
Another possibility for Utah’s top porn billing may be the scarcity of adult entertainment outside the home.

Forty-Eight Children Recovered

Press Release
For Immediate Release
February 23, 2009 Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
Forty-Eight Children Recovered in Operation Cross Country III

During the past week, the FBI joined our law enforcement partners in a three-day national enforcement action as part of the Innocence Lost National Initiative. This operation, known as Operation Cross Country III, included enforcement operations in 29 cities across the country and led to the recovery of 48 children being prostituted domestically. Additionally, 571 criminals were arrested on a combination of state and federal charges for the domestic trafficking of children for prostitution and solicitation.

“We continue to pursue those who exploit our nation’s children,” said FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III. “We may not be able to return their innocence but we can remove them from this cycle of abuse and violence.”

In the spring of 2003, the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, in partnership with the Child Exploitation-Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), formed the Innocence Lost National Initiative to address the growing problem of children forced into prostitution. This program brings state and federal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and social service providers all from around the country to NCMEC, where the groups are trained together. In addition, CEOS has reinforced the tr aining by assigning prosecutors to help bring cases in those cities plagued by child prostitution. To date, the 32 Innocence Lost Task Forces and Working Groups have recovered 670 children. The investigations and subsequent convictions have resulted in lengthy sentences, including multiple 25-years-to-life sentences and the seizure of more than $3 million in assets.

Father, son indicted in prostitution case

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Thursday, February 26, 2009

A federal grand jury indicted a father and son from Milwaukee on counts of prostituting teenagers here and across state lines, according to court documents.
Todd “King Tut” Carter,38, and his son, Nicholas Harrison, 19, were indicted Tuesday.
Each is charged with conspiracy and three counts of trafficking minors. Additionally, Carter was indicted of two counts of enticing a minor.
According to court documents, Carter has been a pimp for 20 years and more recently used his son to recruit girls to be prostitutes because he was closer to their age.
Carter required teens to have sex with him first as “training,” and then he would arrange for them to engage in prostitution, often advertising on Craigslist……,Carter was denied bail.
If convicted, the men face the possibility of life in prison.
TEENAGER, GIRLS-BOYS-YOUNG PEOPLE-IF SOMEONE IS HURTING YOU OR HAS YOU WHERE YOU DON’T WANT TO BE……CLICK AND GIVE ME A CLUE SOME CONTACT INFORMATION….A PLEA FOR HELP…AN IDEA OF HOW TO FIND AND HELP YOU. I WILL FIND YOU!

Internet Teen Sex Trade

Feds Arrest Alleged Online Pimp In Sacramento

Stephen McKesson, 22, allegedly used online bulletin board Craigslist to market and traffic teen prostitutes in the Sacramento area.

An alleged high-tech pimp has been arrested and accused of trafficking teenage prostitutes, according to authorities.

Stephen McKesson, 22, allegedly used online bulletin board Craigslist to market and traffic teen prostitutes in the Sacramento area, some as young as 13 years old. Federal investigators accuse him of using playing cards with provocative pictures of teenagers to market them to strangers.

Investigators say they caught up with the suspect when a friend of one of the teens recognized her in an online posting and called police.

McKesson raped and beat the teens to force them to obey him, authorities said. Some of the teen girls even gave birth to his children.

He is now facing a laundry list of charges for those allegations, and is being held without bail.
CBS5
What do I think….? Call us….comment…..let us help you…..
300.000 children forced into sex slavery every year in the U.S. If we can not protect our children then what are we?
GET INVOLVED
For info on how to help or items to include in a care package, call the local Coalition Against Human Trafficking: 525-4807

Send your tax-deductible donations to the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking to: 9260 Cove Ave., Pensacola, Fla., 32514

Re: Witnessing Domestic Violence Search….

What to do?

First and most importantly…..call the police.
File a police report of what you’ve witnessed.
Dial 911 !
Be proactive……STOP THE VIOLENCE!
YOU MAY BE SAVING A LIFE OR MORE.