How human sex trafficking spurred on a Largo church to act

LEESBURG (FBW/FBC)—With “unkempt” dark hair framing her deep brown eyes, the little 11-year-old girl living at the bottom of the slum was supposed to be adopted by an American family after her mom died unexpectedly in the middle of the night.

But a “slum lord” interfered, threatening to kidnap a missionary’s child if the little girl—whose future was in being trafficked as a sex object—was rescued from the area.

Bill Losasso, pastor of Pathways Community Church in Largo, said his church had established a ministry in Guatemala and he made a decision those two years ago that he will never forget.

“So I decided not to get her out of there,” Losasso said. “I don’t even talk about what has happened with the church. I feel like a failure in it, I hate it—and I’m going to talk about it this time, but I’m going to tell you about what God has done since then.”

In a workshop, “Your Church as a Force in the War on Sex Trafficking,” Losasso was joined by Tomi Grover, director of community and restorative justice for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Since the time the young girl disappeared, Losasso said his church has learned all it can about the problem of human trafficking in Florida and in Guatemala. It has learned that the police department has resources and training for churches that are willing to listen—and he has partnered with other churches and community organizations to be a resource and to develop resources for the growing problem.

He urges churches to learn all they can and provide safe houses, counseling, clothes, and rides to doctors and others for victims. They can also host block parties and be on the lookout for victims.

“Churches can do a lot of stuff if they are willing to receive one of these victims,” Losasso said.

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How human sex trafficking spurred on a Largo church to act is brought to you by Joni Hannigan and Barbara Denman of the Florida Baptist Witness.

South Dakota Man with New Indictments in Child Sex Ring Case

A Tea, SD man is hit with a new indictment and atleast three new charges since his first indictment in December of 2009.

Brandon Quincy Thompson, a 26-year-old Tea man located just outside of Sioux Falls in South Dakota was arrested in late November for the trafficking of three child victims for sex in what is being called a child sex ring. Thompson has been held in the Minnehaha County Jail since then.

On Thursday, prosecutors filed a new indictment that points to eight of ten victims being children that were transported across state lines. The new federal indictment also adds new charges of Thompson sending pornographic pictures of children across state lines with a Blackberry; he stole a St. Paul man's identity and used a firearm to commit a felony.

Charges also include Thompson going under the names "Terrence Clay" and " Kadafi" while living in Tea and attempting to solicit the murders of two federal witnesses between February and April.

Tompson is being held away from the general jail population with no internet access by the request of the prosecuters, but he can still use the inmate phone system. Thompson can also see visitors, says Minnehaha County Jail Warden Tim Devlin.

"He's in isolation, but he's not restricted from having any visitors," Devlin said.

Thompson's girlfriend, 30-year-old Megan Marie Hayes, is charged with one count of sex trafficking. An affidavit filed last year claims the two placed ads for prostitution services on the Web site backpage.com. Clients would set up meetings with the girls by calling one of the handful of cell phone numbers Thompson used, the court documents said.

Hayes was released to the custody of her father in Davenport, Iowa, in December.

There is no word yet on whether there will be attempted murder charges filed. Each of the 12 counts relating to sex trafficking carry a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Both have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Tea Police Department and South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation assisted with the initial proceedings, but the case now is in the hands of federal prosecutors and the FBI.

"As long as there are charges pending, our case is open," said Special Agent E.K. Wilson of the FBI's Minneapolis field office.

Florida Man Arrested for Human Trafficking

Teusday, Deputies arrested a Hillsborough man who investigators say was trafficking a disabled minor.

Because of a complaint in 2008, 25-year-old Mario Alberto Laguna-Guerrero is charged with coercing a developmentally challenged 16-year-old girl into having sex for money.

It is reported that Laguna-Guerrero brought the teen to various migrant worker camps in eastern Hillsborough County, charging men to sleep with her.

Authorities also say Laguna-Guerrero tried to get the teen to recruit her friends into his prostitution business.

This case was investigated by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Clearwater Area Task Force on Human Trafficking(CATFHT), a law enforcement and social services coalition to fight human trafficking in the Tampa Bay area.

According to CATFHT, Florida is one of the highest destination states for women and children trafficked into the United States.

Laguna-Guerrero's first appearence in federal court was Wednesday afternoon. After standing before Judge Pizzo, he ordered him to be held without bond. If convicted, Guerrero faces life in prison.

Trainee Teacher Cleared of Having Sex With Special Needs Pupil

Trainee techer in UK charged with having sex with one of her pupils is found not guilty.

A four day trial claimed that 25 year old Hannah McIntyre, seduced a 16 year old male student at her home after giving him cider.

Miss McIntyre, of Waterloo, Merseyside, was a classics teacher at Merchant Taylor's boy's school on Merseyside.

McIntyre denied the charge of one count of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust in a Liverpool Crown Court.

She believes the boy made the story up to deflect attention from his bad behavior at school.

Jury Awards Former Boy Scout US$1.4 Million in Sexual Abuse Trial

Teusday after jurors of a Multnomah County Circuit Court ruled the Boy Scouts of America as being negligent and ordered to pay non-economic damages of US$1.4 Million, Kerry Lewis and his mother, Helen Caldwell embrace.

Kerry Lewis, the plantiff in this case is one of six men suing the Boy Scouts of America. Identified as "Jack Doe #4", Lewis testifies uneasily about being an 11 year old Boy Scout alone with his troop leader in 1983. When on the witness stand being asked what happened he commented, "He grabbed by hand. And he slid it up his leg. Into his shorts."

Troop Leader Timir Dykes had already admitted to molesting seventeen boys, but parents weren't notified. In a deposition, Dykes admitted to molesting Kerry Lewis.

But Dykes isn't on trial here. This is a case against the Boy Scouts of America, who kept confidential files on Dykes and thousands of molesters, intended to keep them out of Scouting, but ultimately to keep the incidents quiet. How the Scouts handled the case of the former Scout Leader was at the center of the lawsuit claiming they hid decades of information on abuse to protect their organization.

Kelly Clark, the attorny representing the six men with lawsuits against the Scouts says that in the 1980's the Scouts knew that atleast one of the boys had been abused by Dykes. And though he was removed as a Scout leader, he was allowed to be a volunteer, and the abuse continued.

When Lewis' mother took the stand, she testified that she only found out about Dykes' past when she and her husband recieved a phone call from the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office in July of 1984.

The police stopped Dykes for a broken tail light as he was driving several Scouts, including their son, for a camping trip on the beach. After checking Dykes' records, he was arrested and the parents of the boys were called.

Caldwell testified that after her husband talked to a Morman Bishop who organized the local Scout progam, trying to describe the look on her husband's face by saying, "he was just stricken."

"I had never seen that look on his face before," she said. "He said they knew he had been arrested for this ... that he had this restriction that he wasn't to be in the company of minors and they felt that it was OK because he had repented."

Dykes was commented on as being "larger than life", said Lewis. "I just wanted ot soak up his knowledge."

Caldwell only learned the truth in 2007. When she originally asked if Dykes had sexually abused her son, he denied it. It was when a case surfaced including several Scouts saying they had been abused by Dykes that she was compelled to ask her son again had he been touch inappropriately, which she said he then confirmed.

Nine out of 12 jurors found Boy Scouts of America and its local body liable for 60 percent of the negligent. The jury said the Cascade Pacific Council, which overseas Scouting activities in the region, was 15 percent negligent and the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints 25 percent negligent.

Kayden Nguyen Sues Steven Seagal Over Sex Slave Allegations

Action movie star Steven Seagal is being sued by 23 year old former model, Kayden Nguyen. Nguyen claims that Seagal sexually assaulted her and ultimately escaped his home leaving behind all of her personal belongings.

According to court documents obtained by CBS News, Nguyen was hired by the film star last February as an executive assistant at his production company. It was on her first day that she discovered that she was a replacement for one of the two Russian female "attendants" to provide sexual services for Seagal 24/7.

Nguyen's lawsuit claims that on three occassions Seagal sexually assualted her with forced contact or groping.

Nguyen also claims that for six days she was kept against her will at Seagals secluded Louisiana home, where the Seagal family was allegedly staying. Nguyen says that during her escape she was chased in the night by Seagal who was armed with a flashlight attached to a gun.

In an interview with CBS News' Crimesider, Nguyen's lawyer stated that she didn't call the police because he is the police in Jefferson Parish. In Addition to his movie career, Seagal has been a commissioned deputy for 20 years and is currently commissioned in the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's department. His cable show, "Steve Seagal Lawman," follows his adventures. (Video clip above)

Steven Seagal is being sued for sexual harassment, illegal trafficking of females for sex, failure to prevent sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and false representation about employment. Nguyen is seeking damages in excess of $1-million (U.S.).

For a Moment in Time, Traffickers and Travelers Come Together

"For a moment in time, strangers from around the world come together as travelers."

Flight attendants at a large U.S. airline are training other flight attendants on how to recognize signs of human trafficking. Sandra Fiorini, with 39 years on the job, travels around the world educating other flight attendants and arming them with brochures and braclets containing the human trafficking hotline.

While Fiorini was interviewed by Elizabeth Lee of VOS News, she admitted that it was very easy to spot suspected human trafficking. "Most of us are parents. When you see an instance that's not right and a red flag is raised, especially when there is children involved, you're more in tune with what's happening," she said.

Fiorini also shares one incident she came across that included a day old new born and an 18 year old male with no mother and little preparation for a six hour flight. With cases like this surfacing for some time, local authorities have only started to respond to reports of human trafficking and similar reports in the past 2 years, says Fiorini.

Air routes for traffickers are considered the most expensive, yet it is still the most preferable mode of transportation, says Shahnawaz Khan of Daily Times of Pakistan. He also notes that theres a reported 600 active traffickers in the country with the Coastal Belt from Karachi to Balochistan being frequently used by traffickers to cross into Iran.

Khan reports that the FIA (Federal Investigative Agency, their version of our FBI) has failed to stop human trafficking in varies parts of the country. "Every week a large number of youngsters are smuggled out of Pakistan. More than 600 human traffickers are running their businesses in different parts of the country and are using air, land and sea routes for their activities. Although, most of them are arrested or die while crossing borders of countries including Iran, Turkey, Cyprus and Greek," sources told Daily Times.

With estimates of 12 million people around the world still working under coercion in forced labour, slavery and slavery-like practices, according to the International Labour Organisation, will brochures and braclets from airline attendants be enough? Will Pakistan, which is only about twice the size of California, surpass the US in the number of active traffickers operating inside it's borders? Finally, with pressure on the FBI from NGOs and Capitol Hill, lets hope that our efforts are never considered a failure; or is that already the case?