Sex trafficking of minors at Foxwoods

Increase in sex trafficking of minors getting local, state attention
By Karen FlorinPublication: The Day

Published 01/28/2014

 

Department of Children and Families to hold forum Wednesday on problem

Human trafficking sounds like a crime that takes place in a big city or exotic country, but police and child welfare experts say it occurs right here in Connecticut in increasing numbers.

In December, the state police Casino Licensing & Operations Unit charged a 24-year-old Providence woman with bringing a 16-year-old girl to the Two Trees Inn on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation for a prearranged sexual encounter. Kaieema E. Gadson, charged with trafficking in persons and promoting prostitution, posted a $5,000 bond and is due back in court on Feb. 4.

The case reached the major crimes docket in New London Superior Court around the same time the state Department of Children and Families announced a forum to raise awareness about domestic minor sex trafficking in Connecticut. On Wednesday, more than 200 people, including judges, law enforcement officers, medical providers, hospital administrators and school officials are expected to attend the day-long forum at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

During the past few years, 130 girls and boys in Connecticut have been identified as child sex slaves, according to DCF, and the agency has recently experienced a substantial increase in reports of suspected or actual human trafficking of children. At the forum, state and national experts will discuss the scope of the crime as well as legal and forensic treatment issues and how the state is working to combat what the agency describes as "the egregious victimization of children."

Gov. Dannel Malloy and DCF Commissioner Joette Katz are scheduled to speak, and key supporters of the event include the Judicial Branch, the Office of the Chief State's Attorney, the Mohegan Tribe and the Department of Consumer Protection.

A preliminary police report in the Mashantucket human trafficking case does not identify the relationship between Gadson and the teen-age victim, who was detained at the scene and taken to a hospital for a medical evaluation. But according to the DCF, traffickers often are friends or family members who employ a number of techniques, including physical and emotional abuse, to keep their victim in bondage.

In December, a joint task force of local, state and federal law enforcement agents conducted an investigation into prostitution at Foxwoods Resort Casino after receiving information about the pervasive use of online sites such as backpages.com to arrange paid sexual encounters. Participating agencies included the state police, Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Mashantucket Tribal Police Department.

On Dec. 19, agents identified "several individuals knowingly engaged in prostitution," at Two Trees, which is a tribe-owned hotel located near Foxwoods Resort Casino on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation. Gadson, who had been previously targeted for trafficking minor females and promoting prostitution, was arrested for delivering the teen-age girl to a prearranged locations "with intentions of waiting for the individual to fulfill a sexual encounter for a fee," according to the report.

Gadson, who was arrested without incident, had only been charged with motor vehicle offenses in the past, but could face additional charges. State police said they are preparing an arrest warrant application based on a previous sex trafficking/prostitution incident involving a minor.

http://www.theday.com/article/20140128/NWS02/301289945

 

Another thing to 'love' about casinos.....

FBI arrests 150 in three days in sex-trafficking sweep

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI arrested 150 people across the United States on charges of holding children against their will for prostitution, a three-day weekend sweep that officials on Monday called the largest-ever operation against child sex-trafficking.

The suspects, whom the FBI referred to as "pimps," were arrested in 76 U.S. cities and are expected to face state and federal charges related to sex crimes and human trafficking, FBI and U.S. Justice Department officials said at a news conference.

FBI agents and local police recovered 105 children during the operation at truck stops, motels, casinos and other places where they were forced to work as prostitutes, officials said.

Of the 150 suspects, 18 were arrested by agents based in Detroit, 17 by agents from San Francisco and 13 by Oklahoma City agents, the FBI said.

The FBI said the suspects were not part of the same operation. It said some belonged to organized crime while others acted alone. The bureau did not immediately release a list of the suspects.


The FBI typically does not investigate adult prostitution, leaving it as a state and local matter, but in recent years it has made child prostitution a priority in a program the FBI calls Operation Cross Country. The program includes highway billboards asking people to call the FBI with tips.

About 1,350 people have been convicted as part of the program and at least 10 of them were sentenced to life in prison, officials said.

The latest sweep was the seventh and largest under Operation Cross Country, they said.

Children who are most vulnerable to being exploited for sex crimes are between 13 and 16 years old without strong ties to family members, officials said.

"We are trying to take this crime out of the shadows and put a spotlight on it," said FBI Assistant Director Ronald Hosko.

View gallery."

The main headquarters of the FBI, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, is seen in Washington on March 4, 20 …

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Howard Goller and Bill Trott)


http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-says-arrested-150-three-days-child-prostitution-154521080.html

The gambling addict: Man confesses to kidnapping, selling eight girls

The accuse­d used to sell the minor girls to his accomp­lice in exchan­ge for gambli­ng money.

By Our Correspondent

Published: July 22, 2013

 

The accused used to sell the minor girls to his accomplice in exchange for gambling money.
SUKKUR: Gulzar Jagirani, who was apprehended by the police while attempting to kidnap a minor girl, has been sent for an eight-day police remand by the Larkana Anti-Terrorism Court, on Saturday. The accused has confessed to kidnapping and selling eight other girls before the foiled kidnapping bid.

On July 17, Jagirani the junk dealer, intoxicated seven-year-old S* while she was on her way to the grocery shop. He put the young girl in a sack and was speeding away on his pushcart when people of the area caught wind of the incident and informed the police. The police chased Jagirani and caught him near Warah Shakh, some eight kilometres away from Ratodero.

In his statement before the Ratodero police, the accused revealed that he was a habitual gambler and had lost a lot of money. His friend, Imran Langah, a resident of Garhi Khairo near Jacobabad, often lent him money with heavy interest for gambling. He said that he owed a huge sum to Langah who suggested that he kidnap a minor girl for him to clear the debt.

Ratodero police station assistant head constable, Sajjid Ali, told The Express Tribune that Jagirani was presented in the ATC on Saturday. The court, after the initial hearing, remanded the accused to police custody for eight days. The accused was handed over to the investigating officer at Larkana CIA Centre for interrogation.

The CIA centre’s head constable, Riaz Ahmed Dayo, told The Express Tribune that the accused had confessed that he had kidnapped eight minor girls and sold them to the co-accused, Imran Langah, for Rs4,000 to Rs5,000. According to him, the accused had kidnapped those girls from different localities in and around Ratodero. The FIRs of the kidnappings are registered with the Ratodero police, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2013.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/580005/the-gambling-addict-man-confesses-to-kidnapping-selling-eight-girls/
 

Woman sells baby at Delaware Park Racetrack & Casino

Delaware woman charged with selling her baby to a Philly man
By Robert Moran, Inquirer Staff Writer

A Delaware woman has been charged with selling her month-old son to a Philadelphia man, possibly for $15,000, authorities said Tuesday.

Bridget Wismer, 33, was arrested Friday and charged with dealing in children and conspiracy, both felonies, said New Castle County Police Cpl. John Weglarz Sr. Wismer lives in Brookside Park, Del.

New Castle detectives executed a search warrant that same day at the home of John Gavaghan, 54, in Northeast Philadelphia. There they found the baby and 10 "agreement" documents related to the transfer of the boy, Weglarz said. It was not immediately clear how much money changed hands.

The child, who was in good condition, was placed in the custody of social-service agencies in Philadelphia and Delaware before being placed in a foster home.

Gavaghan faces the same charges as Wismer. Both have been released on bail.

On Sept. 4, police received a tip from a family member that "Bridget is attempting to sell her child for $15,000 to a Philadelphia man," Weglarz said.

The police investigation discovered surveillance video of Gavaghan signing some of the agreement documents at Delaware Park Racetrack & Casino, Weglarz said.


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