Jacksonville.

6 arrested in human trafficking case involving teen girl in Jacksonville

It is the first case of its kind in the city, Rutherford said.

Posted: August 16, 2010 - 10:55pm

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By  David Hunt

Over the past several weeks, local and federal authorities have arrested six men in what they're calling a rare sex-trafficking operation in Jacksonville.

It started when a 15-year-old runaway wandered into the city's drug-ridden underbelly last spring. She met men who gave her crack cocaine in exchange for sex. Then they held her captive for nearly a month and sold her as a prostitute until she managed to break free and call her mother, who then called police.

Sheriff John Rutherford compared the case to slavery on Monday as he and James Casey, FBI special agent in charge of the Jacksonville office, announced the arrests.

However, the details were kept to a minimum. Both said they wanted to protect the 15-year-old girl, who had been placed in a therapy program.

Police would not specify where in the city the girl was being held or where she was forced to perform sex acts for drugs. The method the men used to strong-arm her into prostitution also was not revealed.

Ian Sean Gordon, 29, and Melvin Eugene Friedman, 45, were identified as principal suspects in the case. Court papers obtained by the Times-Union say the girl met Gordon on the streets smoking crack cocaine.

Gordon's arrest and booking report on file at the Duval County courthouse identified hotels on Philips Highway and Arlington Expressway where investigators say Gordon and the teenager would smoke crack and have sex.

Investigators further say a naked picture of the girl was kept on his cell phone.

State prosecutors stopped pursuing a case against Gordon as federal authorities took over, charging him as part of an investigation they termed "Operation Abandoned Hope."

If he's convicted on the federal sex-trafficking charges, Gordon could face a life sentence.

It was not made clear how Friedman took on a co-pimping role with Gordon, but among the six arrests announced on Monday, his charges are the most serious.

Friedman could face two life sentences if convicted, partially because of his prior record. He'd been released from prison in 2007 after a 1997 manslaughter arrest. Police say he'd bludgeoned a man to death in a Philips Highway hotel room.

Police also rounded up three men accused of purchasing the girl as a prostitute. Phillip Anthony Aiken, 28, Oris Alexander English, 45, and Alfredo Martinez Riquene, 42, each face a mandatory 10-year prison sentence if convicted.

Another man, 28-year-old Antonio D. Ford, was arrested on charges that he knew about what was happening to the girl but did not come forward.

Nearly 300,000 children in the United States, most of them runaways, are considered at risk to be forced into prostitution, according to a November 2009 report compiled by International Crisis Aid, a St. Louis-based human rights organization.

Still, Rutherford said the case announced Monday is a first in Jacksonville. Investigators said there could be more arrests coming.

david.hunt@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4025

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Kansas City.com

Another man pleads guilty in human trafficking case

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An Uzbek man pleaded guilty to federal racketeering Monday, admitting his role in an alleged human trafficking scheme that brought more than 1,000 workers to the Kansas City area.

Ilkham Fazilov, 45, a native of Uzbekistan who lived in Kansas City, admitted that he organized two companies that filed fraudulent applications for foreign guest worker visas.

Those applications exaggerated the need for foreign workers, who sometimes were sent to work in other states. Fazilov also handled payroll.

Prosecutors and Fazilov’s attorney agreed to a 41-month sentence.

In interviews with The Kansas City Star last year, Fazilov proclaimed his innocence, and said he worked in a hotel like others employed by the alleged conspiracy.

Of the 12 men charged in the case, four have pleaded guilty, three have dates this month to change their pleas, three fled the country and remain fugitives and two are awaiting trial in October.

| Mark Morris, mmorris@kcstar.com

Posted on Mon, Aug. 16, 2010 11:13 PM

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2010/08/16/2154372/another-man-pleads-guilty-in-human.html#ixzz0wvjEUXW6

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Human Rights Examiner

National  Politics  Human Rights Examiner

The Pretty Woman myth among law enforcement and the culture hinders arrest and prosecution of johns

August 4, 12:38 PMHuman Rights ExaminerYoungbee Dale

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Do you remember the B.W. case? It was on the media's hot spotlight for a while when the Supreme Court of Texas reversed the lower court's decision criminalizing a 13 year old victim as a child prostitute. B.W. was arrested when she offered to engage in oral sex with an undercover officer for $20.00. Regardless of the history of her sexual and physical abuse  and an apparent exploitation of B.W. by her 32 year old boyfriend, the prosecutor proceeded against B.W. on the charge of prostitution in the juvenile court. The trial court found that B.W. was engaged in delinquent conduct of prostitution and the appellate court affirmed that decision. It was only after the Supreme Court of Texas reversed the lower court's decision that B.W. was able to walk free as a victim instead of being incarcerated as a criminal. But, there is another issue that was overlooked in this B.W. case.  It is that no johns who molested and raped the 13 year old victim was even arrested by the police though the prosecutors and the law enforcement were quick to arrest and prosecute B.W.

The johns were never prosecuted

Aside from the issue that the prosecutor accused a 13 year old of willfully engaging in prostitution, none of the johns were prosecuted for raping and molesting B.W., a 13 year old child as mentioned above. In the defense of the law enforcement and prosecutors, johns are difficult to prosecute in a case that the prostituted woman or girl was arrested during the undercover cop sting. It is also unlikely that B.W. would have kept the contact information and the names of johns who molested or raped her in the past. It is particularly unlikely that she kept the information about johns if she were being prostituted on the street. But, what is really hindering law enforcement from arresting johns lies elsewhere. 

The myth of Pretty Woman: johns walk free

Dottie Laster, of Laster Global, a company that specializes in training law enforcement and media on human trafficking and other human rights issue, reveals an interesting reason why law enforcement is less likely go after johns but more likely go after the prostituted women: 

The culture of law enforcement is such that the prostitues are willing and their expereinces are similar the movie Pretty Woman. The reality is that most prostitutes experiences are actually terrfiying and horrific. Due to this inacurate myth, the blame for the crime of prostitution lies on the vicitms and the johns are most often not even detained while the vicitms are arrested.

In order for progress to be made to stop the spectrum of heinous crimes that make up human trafficking, investigations must change their focus to address the demand side- the investigations must shift focus off of the victims and onto the two parties who always have a choice to participate in the crime- the pimp/trafficker and the buyers also known as johns. [emphasis added]

What this means to the fight against human trafficking

As. Ms. Laster rightly pointed out above, the American culture and the law enforcement have overlooked the importance of arresting and prosecuting johns. In a case like In re B.W. case, whether they knowingly have engaged in prostitution with a minor like B.W. or not, it does not change the fact that johns have molested or raped a 13 year old child and took away her innocence. Then let's suppose B.W. never goes back to prostitution after receiving counseling through victim assistance program. Also, suppose B.W.'s  32 year old pimp was prosecuted and locked away for a few years after conviction on pimping charges. But, unless these johns are prosecuted and penalized enough to stop them from going back to the brothels, there will always be other pimps and traffickers who will supply trafficking victims in order to meet the sexual demands of these johns. While these johns consider prostituting women as sports, hobbies, and a stress-reliever, our children are torn apart in their minds, bodies, and spirits as a result of prostitution. Now, will you still turn blind eyes and say to johns that "boys will be boys"? 

More About: child trafficking · child prostitution · U.S. sex trafficking · Johns

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